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Oprah : the gospel of an icon / Kathryn Lofton

Author
Lofton, Kathryn
Published
Berkeley : University of California Press, [2011]
Copyright Date
©2011
Physical Description
1 online resource (xiii, 288 pages)
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Language Note
English.
Contents
Introduction -- Practicing purchase : the prosperity gospel of a spiritual capitalism -- Celebrity spirit : the incorporation of your best life -- Diverting conversions : the makeover as social rite -- Preacher queen : the race and gender of America's confessor -- Reading religiously : the reformations of Oprah's Book Club -- Missionary gift : the globalization of inspiration -- Conclusion -- Epilogue : political spirituality, or the Oprahfication of Obama.
Summary
"Today on Oprah," intones the TV announcer, and all over America viewers tune in to learn, empathize, and celebrate. In this book, Kathryn Lofton investigates the Oprah phenomenon and finds in Winfrey's empire--Harpo Productions, O Magazine, and her new television network--an uncanny reflection of religion in modern society. Lofton shows that when Oprah likes, needs, or believes something, she offers her audience nothing less than spiritual revolution, reinforced by practices that fuse consumer behavior, celebrity ambition, and religious idiom. In short, Oprah Winfrey is a media messiah for a se.
Subject(s)
ISBN
9780520948242 (electronic bk.)
0520948246 (electronic bk.)
9781283277501
1283277506
9780520259270 (cloth ; alk. paper)
0520259270 (cloth ; alk. paper)
9780520267527 (pbk. ; alk. paper)
0520267524 (pbk. ; alk. paper)
9786613277503
6613277509
Bibliography Note
Includes bibliographical references and index.
View MARC record | catkey: 43260759