Beschreibung
Symbols increasingly dominate international communication. The events of 9/11 and the ongoing war against terrorism demonstrate their power. Yet few understand them. Now, more than ever, it is important to understand symbols in a global context.
Battle of Symbols examines 9/11 and current events in light of global symbolism. While 9/11 represented the beginning of the war against terrorism, the real “battle of symbols” started long before September 11th and will continue long after the fall of Osama bin Laden or Saddam Hussein.
The book defines current global symbols and observes the response of the American symbolism industry to the events of 9/11. As Fraim notes, the events of 9/11 offered a rare opportunity to observe how American symbols are created (by Madison Avenue advertising and Hollywood entertainment), communicated (by New York media) and managed (by Washington public relations).
One of the more hopeful outcomes of 9/11 was the instigation of an international dialogue about the power of symbols. From this continuing dialogue America and the world have gained a new awareness of the growing power of symbols. Whether this awareness will lead to a new understanding of symbols on a national and global scale is one of the most important questions facing America (and the world) today.
Autorenportrait
John Fraim has a BA in History from UCLA and a JD from Loyola Law School (Los Angeles). After a career as a successful marketing executive he founded The GreatHouse Company in 1995. GreatHouse is a publishing, consulting and research firm with a focus in the area of symbolism and popular culture. The company’s online presence is www.symbolism.org.
His articles, essays and reviews have been published in a wide range of publications including Business 2.0, The Industry Standard, Ad Busters, The Journal of Marketing, The Journal of Psychohistory, Anthropology News, Spark OnLine, Media & Culture Journal, The Jung Page and Psychological Perspectives.
His book Spirit Catcher won the 1997 Small Press Award for Best Biography. Anticipated publication in the near future are two of his works on symbolism – Symbolism of Place and Symbolism of Popular Culture. The first book explores the symbolism of context in stories, mythology and drama. The second applies story concepts to popular culture. The current book Battle of Symbols applies popular cultural symbolism to a global context. Parts of these books are currently posted on www.symbolism.org.
Contact John Fraim at jfraim@symbolism.org for additional information or to be placed on The GreatHouse Company mailing list.
