Suchergebnisse

Review of Will Brooker, Forever Stardust: David Bowie Across the Universe. London: I. B. Tauris, 2017, paperback, $17.99 (256p) ISBN 978-1784531423; and Being Bowie. Documentary film/audiovisual essay. Directed by Will Brooker, edited by Rebecca Hughes, 2016.

Summary
Gifts to US Presidents from foreign leaders between 2001 and 2016 are analysed in this essay, to assess the motivation behind the choice of gift against the background of the regulated character of the transaction through the Foreign Gifts and Decorations Act. Seven strategies are identified: showcasing the culture of the gifting country; highlighting the bilateral relationship; praising US culture and values; praising or appealing to the interests of the President; offering a nice gift; impressing through a lavish gift and supporting the luxury exports of the gifting country. The first three strategies acknowledge the regulated character of the gift exchange, the next three try to mask it in a focus on the personal and the seventh combines elements of both. Prior co-ordination with the US side sometimes influences the choice of gift.

It is Cyber Monday and the gift-purchasing season started sometime last week; it is now even more unclear to me when Black Friday actually starts. It has been a few years since my previous entries in this series and the circumstances of 2020 warrant a new list as the demands of our profession have changed. Even with the hopeful resumption of normal in-person classes by Fall 2020, the ability and demand for remote teaching is going to be higher in 2022 than it was in 2019. To see the previous entries in this series, see years 2010 and 2013. Home Continue reading Gifts for Political Scientists, 2020→