A Companion to Celebrity

In spite of roots stretching to ancient times, the study of celebrity is one of the fastest growing areas of contemporary academic scholarship. Contributing to this trend is how the new social media have taken celebrity/fan interaction to a level of engagement virtually unimaginable just a few years ago. Companion to Celebrity presents a multi-disciplinary collection of original essays that explore myriad issues relating to the origins, evolution, and current trends in the field of celebrity studies. Featuring essays contributed from two dozen leading experts drawn from a range of disciplines and academic backgrounds, topics include the genealogy of celebrity, celebrity’s relationship with the public, the monetary value of celebrity, global celebrity, the screens and technologies of celebrity, celebrity’s emotional appeal, celebrity embodiment, and celebrity and fan interaction processes. Offering timely insights on everything from the cult of celebrity to our obsession with fame, Companion to Celebrity sheds important new light on our current understanding of an old and enduring phenomenon that is more ubiquitous in today’s world than at any other point in human history.