January 22, 2007
Clark Screen Studies Professor Edits book on Youth Culture in Global Cinema
 Timothy Shary, associate professor of screen studies at Clark University, recently released "Youth Culture in Global Cinema" (University of Texas Press, 2007), which offers the first comprehensive investigation of how young adults are portrayed in film around the world.
Shary co-edited the work with Alexandra Seibel, a Ph.D. candidate at New York University. Eighteen film scholars from 11 national backgrounds contribute to the book, and closely examine a wide range of films that illuminate the varied conditions in which youth live. The book covers youthful resistance and rebellion; cultural and national identity, including religion and politics; and sexual maturation, including gender distinctions and coming-of-age queer. Some essays even examine the advertising and reception of certain films. The book also includes filmographies of over 700 youth-related movies arranged by nation and theme.
"Films about young people open a very revealing window on the attitudes and values of cultures across the globe," said Shary. "Take, for instance, the blockbuster U.S. movies such as the ‘Harry Potter' series and thought-provoking foreign films such as ‘Bend It Like Beckham' and ‘Whale Rider' – these films delve into young people's attitudes, styles, sexuality, race, families, cultures, class, psychology, and ideas."
According to Shary, the way youth are portrayed in film reflects perceptions about youth in their respective cultures, as well as young people's worth to the larger society.
"Stories of youth after childhood are quite compelling, since the coming-of-age process is familiar to all cultures and classes of people," he said. "Films made in the global marketplace illustrate this abundantly: adolescence and puberty are common subjects in many movies."
According to Shary, many international youth films deal with topics of politics and religion, and more often, with tensions around cultural and national identity. A common theme in global youth cinema, however, is the celebration, exploitation, and the youthful discovery of sex.
"We see young people not only losing their virginity but also questioning their sexual orientation, dealing with pregnancy, and occasionally finding pleasure," said Shary. "Fortunately, most films in recent years have shown an improving maturity about the topic of youthful sexuality, offering sympathy and sensitivity."
Shary plans to expand on the anthology and intends to make it required reading for his course "Images of Youth" in fall 2007. You can access the book's Table of Contents, Preface and Introduction online by clicking here: excerpts.
Shary has been on the Clark faculty since 1997 and was recently the director of Clark's Screen Studies Program. He specializes in the history, aesthetics, and culture of American film and teaches film history, theory and criticism, television analysis, and broadcasting history. His most recent book, "Teen Movies: American Youth on Screen" (Columbia University Press, 2005), provides a detailed look at teens on film and their impact throughout film's history. "Generation Multiplex: The Image of Youth in Contemporary American Cinema" (University of Texas, 2002) dealt with the topic of teen films using genre theory and historical commentary.
Shary received his bachelor's degree from Hampshire College, his master's from Ohio University, and his Ph.D. from the University of Massachusetts. Shary has published a number of articles in books and journals, including research on the image of "tough girls" in American movies, the portrayal of teenage homosexuality, and the decline of "bad boys" in U.S. media. His next book, "The Silver Screen," will examine how the elderly are portrayed in American cinema.
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