Zack Furness | Penn State University, Greater Allegheny (original) (raw)

Books by Zack Furness

Research paper thumbnail of One Less Car: Bicycling and the Politics of Automobility

"Although millions of people in the United States love to ride bicycles for exercise or leisure, ... more "Although millions of people in the United States love to ride bicycles for exercise or leisure, statistics show that only 1 percent of the total U.S. population uses bicycles for transportation—and barely half as many people bike to work. In his original and exciting book, One Less Car, Zack Furness examines what it means historically, culturally, socioeconomically, and politically to be a bicycle transportation advocate/activist."

Research paper thumbnail of The NFL: Critical and Cultural Perspectives

The National Football League is one of the most significant cultural engines in contemporary Amer... more The National Football League is one of the most significant cultural engines in contemporary American life. Yet despite intense and near ubiquitous media coverage, commentators rarely turn a critical lens on the league to ask what material and social forces have contributed to its success, and how the NFL has influenced public life in the United States.

The editors of and contributors to The NFL examine the league as a culturally, economically, and politically powerful presence in American life. The essays explore how the NFL is packaged for commercial consumption, the league's influence on American identity, and its relationship to state and cultural militarism.

The NFL is the first collection of critical essays to focus attention on the NFL as a cultural force. It boldly moves beyond popular celebrations of the sport and toward a fuller understanding of football's role in shaping contemporary sport, media, and everyday life.

Contributors include: David L. Andrews, Aaron Baker, Michael Butterworth, Nicholas P. Ciotola, Jacob Dittmer, Dan Grano, Samantha King, Kyle Kusz, Toby Miller, Ronald L. Mower, Dylan Mulvin, Oliver J.C. Rick, Katie Rodgers, and the editors.

Research paper thumbnail of Punkademics

Essays by Zack Furness, Dylan A.T. Miner and Estrella Torrez, Ross Haenfler, Ryan Moore, Curry Ma... more Essays by Zack Furness, Dylan A.T. Miner and Estrella Torrez, Ross Haenfler, Ryan Moore, Curry Malott, Waleed Rashidi, Helen Reddington, Michael Siciliano and Alan O'Connor, Alastair Gordon, Stevphen Shukaitis, Maria Elena Buszek, Daniel S. Traber, Tavia Nyong'o, Rubén Ortiz-Torres, Brian Tucker, Mimi Thi Nguyen, and Milo J. Aukerman.

Papers by Zack Furness

Research paper thumbnail of Reframing Concussions, Masculinity, and NFL Mythology in League of Denial

This article explores how the PBS Frontline documentary League of Denial reframes the “concussion... more This article explores how the PBS Frontline documentary League of Denial reframes the “concussion crisis” in three ways that contest the rationalization of injury and the normalization of violence in the hegemonic masculine discourses (visual, written, oral) produced about professional football. First, the film problematizes the notion of head injury as merely “part of the
game” and a risk that players ostensibly understand when they enter the National Football League. Second, the film’s depiction of Mike Webster’s “unruly” body further de-naturalizes concussions and contests the masculine ideal of bodily sacrifice in pro football. Third, the film explicitly critiques the role of sports media in constructing a mythology and spectacle of pro football that contributed to the cultural context in which the concussion
crisis has emerged.

Popular Communication (Vol. 14, No. 1 (2016): 49-57

Research paper thumbnail of Critical Mass, Urban Space and Vélomobility

Mobilities, 2007

Critical Mass is an international, monthly event where bicyclists briefly take over city streets ... more Critical Mass is an international, monthly event where bicyclists briefly take over city streets to celebrate bicycling, demonstrate their collective strength and send a clear message to the public: ‘We are not blocking traffic, we are traffic!’ In this essay, I explore how Critical Mass functions as both a performative critique of motorized space and a critical response to
automobility. Rather than offering an empirical account of Critical Mass, I discuss the politics of Critical Mass through the lens of the Situationist International, or situationists – a group of avant-garde artists and architects that developed a unique program of spatial politics in the 1950s. Using the situationists as a reference point, I also explain how Critical Mass impacts the progress of formal bicycle advocacy and I contextualize vélomobility within a paradigm of utopian urbanism.

Research paper thumbnail of Biketivism and Technology: Historical Reflections and Appropriations

Social Epistemology, 2005

Research paper thumbnail of Critical Mass Rides Against Car Culture

Cycling—Philosophy for Everyone: A Philosophical Tour de Force, 2010

Edited by Mike Austin and Jesús Ilundáin

Research paper thumbnail of ‘Petroleum Distillation’ by Fifteen

Rebel Music: Teaching Social Justice Through Hip Hop and Punk, 2014

Edited by Priya Parmar, Anthony J. Nocella II, Scott Robertson, and Martha Diaz

Research paper thumbnail of My Dad Kicked Ass for a Living

Collective Action: A Bad Subjects Anthology, 2004

Edited by Megan Prelinger and Joel Schalit

Research paper thumbnail of Utopia and the City: An Interview with David Pinder

Research paper thumbnail of Bicycles

Handbook of Mobilities, 2014

Edited by Peter Adey, David Bissell, Kevin Hannam, Peter Merriman and Mimi Sheller

Research paper thumbnail of The Political Football: Culture, Critique, and the NFL

The NFL: Critical/Cultural Perspectives, 2014

Edited by Thomas P. Oates and Zack Furness

Research paper thumbnail of Alternative Media: The Art of Rebellion

Media Literacy: A Reader, 2007

Edited by Donaldo Macedo and Shirley Steinberg

Research paper thumbnail of Paved with Good Intentions

Bikeness: Designing For Chicago Bike Culture, 2012

Edited by Kevin Henry and Matt Byerly

Research paper thumbnail of Race, Class and Bicycling

Research paper thumbnail of Anti-Zionism is NOT Anti-Semitism: Reflections on Palestine and What I’ve Learned About Being an Editor, a Jew, and a Leftist

Research paper thumbnail of The Obama Administration and the Rule of "Opposite Day!

Research paper thumbnail of Cruisin' Envy: The Battle Between Bikes and Cars

Research paper thumbnail of Punkademics: The Basement Show in the Ivory Tower

Research paper thumbnail of Attempted Education and Righteous Accusations

Punkademics, 2012

Edited by Zack Furness

Research paper thumbnail of One Less Car: Bicycling and the Politics of Automobility

"Although millions of people in the United States love to ride bicycles for exercise or leisure, ... more "Although millions of people in the United States love to ride bicycles for exercise or leisure, statistics show that only 1 percent of the total U.S. population uses bicycles for transportation—and barely half as many people bike to work. In his original and exciting book, One Less Car, Zack Furness examines what it means historically, culturally, socioeconomically, and politically to be a bicycle transportation advocate/activist."

Research paper thumbnail of The NFL: Critical and Cultural Perspectives

The National Football League is one of the most significant cultural engines in contemporary Amer... more The National Football League is one of the most significant cultural engines in contemporary American life. Yet despite intense and near ubiquitous media coverage, commentators rarely turn a critical lens on the league to ask what material and social forces have contributed to its success, and how the NFL has influenced public life in the United States.

The editors of and contributors to The NFL examine the league as a culturally, economically, and politically powerful presence in American life. The essays explore how the NFL is packaged for commercial consumption, the league's influence on American identity, and its relationship to state and cultural militarism.

The NFL is the first collection of critical essays to focus attention on the NFL as a cultural force. It boldly moves beyond popular celebrations of the sport and toward a fuller understanding of football's role in shaping contemporary sport, media, and everyday life.

Contributors include: David L. Andrews, Aaron Baker, Michael Butterworth, Nicholas P. Ciotola, Jacob Dittmer, Dan Grano, Samantha King, Kyle Kusz, Toby Miller, Ronald L. Mower, Dylan Mulvin, Oliver J.C. Rick, Katie Rodgers, and the editors.

Research paper thumbnail of Punkademics

Essays by Zack Furness, Dylan A.T. Miner and Estrella Torrez, Ross Haenfler, Ryan Moore, Curry Ma... more Essays by Zack Furness, Dylan A.T. Miner and Estrella Torrez, Ross Haenfler, Ryan Moore, Curry Malott, Waleed Rashidi, Helen Reddington, Michael Siciliano and Alan O'Connor, Alastair Gordon, Stevphen Shukaitis, Maria Elena Buszek, Daniel S. Traber, Tavia Nyong'o, Rubén Ortiz-Torres, Brian Tucker, Mimi Thi Nguyen, and Milo J. Aukerman.

Research paper thumbnail of Reframing Concussions, Masculinity, and NFL Mythology in League of Denial

This article explores how the PBS Frontline documentary League of Denial reframes the “concussion... more This article explores how the PBS Frontline documentary League of Denial reframes the “concussion crisis” in three ways that contest the rationalization of injury and the normalization of violence in the hegemonic masculine discourses (visual, written, oral) produced about professional football. First, the film problematizes the notion of head injury as merely “part of the
game” and a risk that players ostensibly understand when they enter the National Football League. Second, the film’s depiction of Mike Webster’s “unruly” body further de-naturalizes concussions and contests the masculine ideal of bodily sacrifice in pro football. Third, the film explicitly critiques the role of sports media in constructing a mythology and spectacle of pro football that contributed to the cultural context in which the concussion
crisis has emerged.

Popular Communication (Vol. 14, No. 1 (2016): 49-57

Research paper thumbnail of Critical Mass, Urban Space and Vélomobility

Mobilities, 2007

Critical Mass is an international, monthly event where bicyclists briefly take over city streets ... more Critical Mass is an international, monthly event where bicyclists briefly take over city streets to celebrate bicycling, demonstrate their collective strength and send a clear message to the public: ‘We are not blocking traffic, we are traffic!’ In this essay, I explore how Critical Mass functions as both a performative critique of motorized space and a critical response to
automobility. Rather than offering an empirical account of Critical Mass, I discuss the politics of Critical Mass through the lens of the Situationist International, or situationists – a group of avant-garde artists and architects that developed a unique program of spatial politics in the 1950s. Using the situationists as a reference point, I also explain how Critical Mass impacts the progress of formal bicycle advocacy and I contextualize vélomobility within a paradigm of utopian urbanism.

Research paper thumbnail of Biketivism and Technology: Historical Reflections and Appropriations

Social Epistemology, 2005

Research paper thumbnail of Critical Mass Rides Against Car Culture

Cycling—Philosophy for Everyone: A Philosophical Tour de Force, 2010

Edited by Mike Austin and Jesús Ilundáin

Research paper thumbnail of ‘Petroleum Distillation’ by Fifteen

Rebel Music: Teaching Social Justice Through Hip Hop and Punk, 2014

Edited by Priya Parmar, Anthony J. Nocella II, Scott Robertson, and Martha Diaz

Research paper thumbnail of My Dad Kicked Ass for a Living

Collective Action: A Bad Subjects Anthology, 2004

Edited by Megan Prelinger and Joel Schalit

Research paper thumbnail of Utopia and the City: An Interview with David Pinder

Research paper thumbnail of Bicycles

Handbook of Mobilities, 2014

Edited by Peter Adey, David Bissell, Kevin Hannam, Peter Merriman and Mimi Sheller

Research paper thumbnail of The Political Football: Culture, Critique, and the NFL

The NFL: Critical/Cultural Perspectives, 2014

Edited by Thomas P. Oates and Zack Furness

Research paper thumbnail of Alternative Media: The Art of Rebellion

Media Literacy: A Reader, 2007

Edited by Donaldo Macedo and Shirley Steinberg

Research paper thumbnail of Paved with Good Intentions

Bikeness: Designing For Chicago Bike Culture, 2012

Edited by Kevin Henry and Matt Byerly

Research paper thumbnail of Race, Class and Bicycling

Research paper thumbnail of Anti-Zionism is NOT Anti-Semitism: Reflections on Palestine and What I’ve Learned About Being an Editor, a Jew, and a Leftist

Research paper thumbnail of The Obama Administration and the Rule of "Opposite Day!

Research paper thumbnail of Cruisin' Envy: The Battle Between Bikes and Cars

Research paper thumbnail of Punkademics: The Basement Show in the Ivory Tower

Research paper thumbnail of Attempted Education and Righteous Accusations

Punkademics, 2012

Edited by Zack Furness

Research paper thumbnail of Milo Went to College: An Interview with a Descendent

Punkademics, 2012

Edited by Zack Furness