The '80s Resurrected

<p> The 1980s is remembered as a time of big hair synthetic music and microwave cookery. It is also remembered as the heyday of conservative politics socioeconomic inequality and moral panics. It is dichotomously remembered as either a nostalgic age of innocence or a regressive moral wasteland depending on who you ask and when. But most of all it is <I>remembered</I>. In retro fashion trends in '80s-based film and television narratives and through countless rebooted movies video games superheroes and even political slogans imploring us to Make America Great Again (Again).</p><p> More than merely a historical period the '80s has grown into a contested myth ever-evolving through the critical and expressive lens of popular culture. This book explores the many shapes the '80s mythos has taken across a diverse array of media. Essays examine television series such as <I>Stranger Things Cobra Kai</I> and <I>POSE</I> films such as <I>Dallas Buyers Club Summer of '84</I> and <I>Chocolate Babies</I> as well as video games pop music and toys. Collectively these essays explore how representations of the 1980s influence the way we think about our past our present and our future.</p>