Rise of the Spectacular: America in the 1950s

In this prequel to his 1998 book Fantasy City: Pleasure and Profit in the Postmodern Metropolis, sociologist John Hannigan travels back in time to the 1950s, exploring the rise of the spectacular in mid-century America. The book highlights five features of spectacularization, including an increase in scale, television mediation, exploitation of middle-class tension, celebration of technological progress, and orchestration by entrepreneurs and dream merchants. Hannigan visits leisure parks, parades, mega-events, architectural styles, innovations, and everyday wonders, shaping the "spectacular gaze" that acculturated Americans into a vision of a progressive, technology-based future.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 184 pages
Publication date: 30 August 2021
Publisher: Taylor & Francis Ltd

In this captivating prequel to his groundbreaking work, Fantasy City: Pleasure and Profit in the Postmodern Metropolis (1998), sociologist John Hannigan takes us on a historical journey back to the 1950s. Often unfairly characterized as a "tranquilized decade," America during this period witnessed an unprecedented surge and convergence of "spectacular events, spaces, and technologies." This phenomenon, known as spectacularization, was characterized by five key features. Firstly, it reflected and justified a significant expansion in scale, moving from the local and regional to the national level. Secondly, television played a pivotal role in mediating this transformation. Thirdly, it capitalized on the tension between middle-class individuals seeking comfortable conformity and their yearning for thrilling adventures. Fourthly, it celebrated technological progress, boosterism, and military power. Lastly, a constellation of entrepreneurs and dream merchants, led by the iconic Walt Disney, orchestrated and marketed these spectacular events.

Spanning across mid-century America, Hannigan explores a diverse range of destinations, including leisure parks (such as Cypress Gardens), parades (like the Tournament of Roses), mega-events (such as the Squaw Valley Olympics and the Century 21 Exposition), architectural styles (such as desert modernism), innovations (such as underwater photography and circular film projection), and everyday wonders (such as chemistry sets). Collectively, these experiences shaped the "spectacular gaze," a prism through which Americans in the 1950s were indoctrinated and enlisted into a vision of a progressive, technology-driven future.

Rise of the Spectacular is a captivating exploration that will captivate architects, landscape designers, geographers, sociologists, historians, and leisure/tourism researchers, as well as non-academic readers who are intrigued by this fascinating era in history. It offers a deep dive into the cultural, social, and architectural transformations that shaped the 1950s, providing valuable insights into the roots of our contemporary world.

Weight: 314g
Dimension: 155 x 233 x 15 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9780367902803