"Film then does not promote socialist revolution in any consistent way." -- Mark Poster
Mark Poster (born 6 July 1941) is a Professor Emeritus of History, Film and Media Studies, and the Critical Theory Emphasis at UC Irvine. He received his Ph.D. from New York University in 1968, and his research interests include European Intellectual and Cultural History, Critical Theory, and Media Studies.
He is known for applying the ideas of French theorists (including Althusser, Baudrillard, Deleuze, Derrida and Foucault) to the new media (including databases, hypertext and the internet).
He seeks to politicize the issue of the use and development of the Internet by emphasizing the possibilities of the Internet for liberatory political change, while acknowledging the existence of a deep digital divide, as well as the interests of transnational corporations and national governments.
"Film, therefore, is part of society, not distant from it, easy to experience for people regardless of class.""So begins a question which has of late become more and more urgent: what is the relation of aesthetics to politics?""Terrorism is in good part an effective government propaganda; it serves to deflect attention from governmental abuse toward a mostly imagined, highly dangerous outside enemy.""Today the family is being attacked and defended with equal vehemence."