This book not only brings a welcome international perspective to a U.S.-dominated discussion, but also theorizes the relationship between popular culture and governing as a form of political praxis. The result is an intriguing proposal to remedy the crisis of citizen participation in liberal democracies.
Argumentation and Advocacy
This is a well-written and long-overdue book that focuses on the debated relationship between politics and popular culture. Specifically, the author sets out to find ways in which readers, viewers, and listeners can be entertained whilst being citizens, refuting previous modernist media-malaise accounts that regard politics and entertainment as separate spheres that need to be kept apart for their own protection.
Political Studies Review
Current scholarship on the relationships between media, popular culture, and politics tends to focus on the problematic if not downright negative aspects of their interaction. The of Liesbet van Zoonen stands out because of the very different approach the author adopts and the refreshing analyses she produces as a consequence. ...van Zoonen delivers here a fundamental book with necessary and perhaps challenging arguments on popular culture, which should be put forth in any classroom where teachings on politics and the public are high on the agenda.
European Journal Of Communication
Entertaining the Citizen is...vigorously argues and it offers some fascinating insights into the ways that popular culture and politics come together. It will undoubtedly and deservedly serve as an important catalyst to serious consideration of how politics can connect to the everyday culture of citizens and thereby connect citizens to politics.
Acta Politica
Liesbet van Zoonen's important new book is unusual in the way it treats politics and entertainment with equal seriousness. The result is a study that makes us rethink our understanding of political and cultural life—and of the ways they engage with each other.
John Street, University of East Anglia