Neil Campbell is Professor in American Studies at the University of Derby, UK. His recent publications include Post-Westerns (2013), The Rhizomatic West: Representing the American West in a Transnational, Global, Media Age (2008), The Cultures of the American New West (2000) and The Radiant Hour: Versions of Youth in American Culture (2000).

Alasdair Kean is a lecturer in American Studies at the University of Derby, UK.

This edition of American Cultural Studies has been updated to take into account the developments of the last four years, providing an introduction to the central themes in modern American culture and exploring how these themes can be interpreted. Chapters discuss the various aspects of American cultural life such as religion, gender and sexuality, and regionalism. Updates and revisions include more material on Detroit, the Mexican border, same-sex relationships and Islam in America, up-to-date case studies such as Girls, The Wire and Orange is the New Black, and discussion of Barack Obama's time in the White House, along with updated further reading and new follow-up exercises.

List of figures. Acknowledgements. Introduction. 1. New beginnings: American culture and identity 2. Ethnicity and immigration: between many worlds 3. African Americans: 'I don't sing other people's voices' 4. In God we trust?: Religion in American life 5. Approaches to regionalism: the West and the South 6. The American city: 'The old knot of contrariety' 7. Gender and sexuality: 'To break the old circuits' 8. Representing youth: outside the sunken nursery 9. The Spread of Freedom 10. The transmission of American culture. Index

Exploring the central themes in modern American cultural studies and discussing how these themes can be interpreted, American Cultural Studies offers a wide-ranging overview of different aspects of American cultural life such as religion, gender and sexuality, regionalism, and ethnicity and immigration.

The fourth edition has been revised throughout to take into account the developments of the last four years. Updates and revisions include:

• discussion of Barack Obama's time in the White House
• consideration of 'Hemispheric American Studies' and the increasing debates about globalisation and the international role of the USA
• long-form television and American Studies
• up-to-date case studies, such as Girls, The Wire and Orange is the New Black
• more material on Detroit, the Mexican border, same-sex relationships and Islam in America
• updated further reading lists and new follow-up work.

Illustrated throughout, containing follow-up questions and further reading at the end of each chapter, and accompanied by a companion website (routledge.com/cw/campbell) providing further study resources, American Cultural Studies is a core text and an accessible guide to the interdisciplinary study of American culture.