Table of Contents

Contents: Introduction: chasing the spectacle of Michael Jackson, Christopher R. Smit; Part I Mythology and Identity: Freaks ( from On Michael Jackson), Margo Jefferson; Michael Jackson and the myth of race and gender, Julian Vigo; Sentenced to Neverland: Michael Jackson, Peter Pan, and queer futurity, Amy C. Billone; Michael Jackson and the quandary of Black identity, Sherrow O. Pinder. Part II Music and Image: The 'split' biography: Man in the Mirror: The Michael Jackson Story, Jesse Schlotterbeck; From pop icon to postmodern kitsch: images of Michael Jackson in contemporary art, Brett M. Van Hoesen; Putting the music back into Michael Jackson studies, Christopher Wiley; 'We are here to change the world': Captain EO and the future of utopia, Carl Miller; Tomorrow today: Michael Jackson as science fiction, character, author, and text, Ruchi Mital. Part III Body and Death: Dancing with the Elephant Man's bones, Raphael Raphael; Cultural anxiety surrounding a plastic prodigy: a performance analysis of Michael Jackson as an embodiment of post-identity politics, Julie-Ann Scott; The unbearable lightness of being Michael: the religious witness of Michael Jackson, David Dark; 'We going to see the king': Christianity and celebrity at Michael Jackson's memorial, Diana York Blaine; Remember to always think twice: the reconciliation of Michael Jackson, Zack Stiegler; Bibliography; Index.

About the Author

Christopher R. Smit is Associate Professor at the Department of Media Studies, Calvin College, Grand Rapids, Michigan in the USA.