
The Return of the 90s
A Cultural History of the Present
Pluto Press
Will be published approx. on 20. June 2026
Book
Paperback/Softback
240 pages
978-0-7453-5130-8 (ISBN)
Description
The 1990s were a cultural watershed, marking a turning point in popular music, television, cinema, literature and fashion. Nestled between the fall of the Berlin Wall and the 9/11 attacks, the decade witnessed the 'end of history' and the birth of the internet, the consolidation of neoliberalism, and a political urgency embodied by the anti-globalisation movement. Now in the rearview mirror, this pivotal decade appears as a time to be reckoned with, its history yet to be written, and we have only begun to come to terms with its lasting significance.
This anthology dives into the contemporary fascination with the '90s. Plotting a playful course between sociology and cultural studies on the one hand, and giddy nostalgia on the other, the book charts decisive developments of the decade to fully apprehend its resonances today.
Covering everything from 'girl power,' Star Trek and hip-hop, to queer cinema, anarchist counterculture and the erotic thriller, The Return of the '90s excavates key moments in '90s culture and uncovers its multiple reckonings in the present.
This anthology dives into the contemporary fascination with the '90s. Plotting a playful course between sociology and cultural studies on the one hand, and giddy nostalgia on the other, the book charts decisive developments of the decade to fully apprehend its resonances today.
Covering everything from 'girl power,' Star Trek and hip-hop, to queer cinema, anarchist counterculture and the erotic thriller, The Return of the '90s excavates key moments in '90s culture and uncovers its multiple reckonings in the present.
Reviews / Votes
'If the 90s announced the end of history-as well as ideology, theory and critique-thankfully, the thinkers in this collection didn't take heed. Read these skillful historicizations to understand how the contradictions animating the cultural formations of the 90s become the presuppositions of the present conjuncture.' -- Beverley Best, author of <i>The Automatic Fetish: The Law of Value in Marx's Capital</i> 'This sharp collection vividly demonstrates that the 90s are particularly difficult to periodize. The decade produced the euphoric temporality of a continuous present of consumption, liberal democracy and the financialization of everyday life. But, through various forms of cultural practices as well as the possibilities that emerge from the critique of "the actual 90s," these essays show that another time and another history was and is possible' -- Jeff Derksen, author of <i>After Euphoria</i> 'Trenchant, capacious, and, yes, funny, this volume is an important response to the command to always historicize' -- Leigh Claire La Berge, author of <i>Marx for Cats</i> and <i>Fake Work</i> 'This book made me think about this much-discussed decade, my generation, and periodization itself in a completely new way. Rigorous, varied essays and astute editorial framing breathe fresh air into the stagnant basement of millennial nostalgia, giving us a prismatic new vision of consequential years that seem both very present and very far away' -- Lydia Kiesling, author of <i>Mobility</i> and <i>The Golden State</i> 'A look into how the dreams and nightmares of the 90s persist in our current popular and political culture. It's not just an ideal volume for teaching because of its range of global perspectives; it's also a certifiable page-turner. I couldn't put it down even though we know the historical outcomes, and that might just be the energy we need to pursue other possibilities' -- Karen Tongson, author of <i>Normporn: Queer Viewers and the TV That Soothes Us</i> 'Whether you lived thru the 90s or only dreamed it, this book is a living manual for revolution in our time, and for all times' -- Clint Burnham, Professor of English at Simon Fraser University 'These jewel-like essays, small and expertly crafted, limn the cultural geography of American Empire at dusk. What emerges is an atlas of global capitalism in a period suspended between triumph and catastrophe, whose contradictions now stretch from Queensbridge, NY, to Gaza.' -- Dara Orenstein, Associate Professor of American Studies, George Washington UniversityMore details
Language
English
Place of publication
London
United Kingdom
Product notice
Paperback (UK-trade)
Dimensions
Height: 216 mm
Width: 140 mm
Thickness: 16 mm
Weight
454 gr
ISBN-13
978-0-7453-5130-8 (9780745351308)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Persons
Madeline Lane-McKinley is a writer, editor, and cultural critic based in Portland, Oregon. Her books include Comedy Against Work: Utopian Longing in Dystopian Times, Solidarity with Children: An Essay Against Adult Supremacy, and Fag/Hag. She is also an editor for Blind Field: A Journal of Cultural Inquiry, a contributor to the Museum of Capitalism. Her writing has appeared in the Los Angeles Review of Books, Boston Review, The New Inquiry, Protean Magazine, and elsewhere.
Sean O'Brien is a writer and educator based in Canada and the United Kingdom. He is lecturer in the department of English at the University of Bristol. His research has appeared in Cultural Critique, Discourse, Polygraph, Science Fiction Studies, Crossings, and the Bloomsbury Companion to Marx.
Annie McClanahan is an Associate Professor of English at University of California, Irvine. She writes about US popular culture, political economy, and contemporary capitalism and is the author of Beneath the Wage: Tips, Tasks, and Gigs in the Age of Service Work.
Sean O'Brien is a writer and educator based in Canada and the United Kingdom. He is lecturer in the department of English at the University of Bristol. His research has appeared in Cultural Critique, Discourse, Polygraph, Science Fiction Studies, Crossings, and the Bloomsbury Companion to Marx.
Annie McClanahan is an Associate Professor of English at University of California, Irvine. She writes about US popular culture, political economy, and contemporary capitalism and is the author of Beneath the Wage: Tips, Tasks, and Gigs in the Age of Service Work.
Content
Introduction by Madeline Lane-McKinley and Sean O'Brien
I: Excavations
1. 'Mobster Politics' by Fernando Esquivel-Suarez
2. 'Girl Power' by Isabel Bartholomew
3. 'The Moment of New Queer Cinema' by Philip Longo and Octavio R. Gonzalez
II: The Post-'60s
4. 'It's not linear!' by Shama Rangwala
5. 'The Good Life 2.0' by Sean O'Brien
6. 'High School TV and the New Class' by Sam H Samore
III: Foreclosures
7. 'On Waste and Limitlessness' by Jacob Miller
8. 'welcome to fucktown' by Sam Weselowski
IV: The Long '90s
9. 'The Single Career Girl and the Diversity Friend' by Anna Zalokostas
10. 'Cultural Jetlag' by Alya Ansari
11. 'The Return of the Erotic Thriller' by Madeline Lane-McKinley
V: Reckonings
12. 'Revenge of the 'Super Predators'' by Austin McCoy
13. 'Black Bloc Epoch' by Vienna
14. 'Siren Song' by Eva Graham
Afterword by Annie McClanahan
Acknowledgments
I: Excavations
1. 'Mobster Politics' by Fernando Esquivel-Suarez
2. 'Girl Power' by Isabel Bartholomew
3. 'The Moment of New Queer Cinema' by Philip Longo and Octavio R. Gonzalez
II: The Post-'60s
4. 'It's not linear!' by Shama Rangwala
5. 'The Good Life 2.0' by Sean O'Brien
6. 'High School TV and the New Class' by Sam H Samore
III: Foreclosures
7. 'On Waste and Limitlessness' by Jacob Miller
8. 'welcome to fucktown' by Sam Weselowski
IV: The Long '90s
9. 'The Single Career Girl and the Diversity Friend' by Anna Zalokostas
10. 'Cultural Jetlag' by Alya Ansari
11. 'The Return of the Erotic Thriller' by Madeline Lane-McKinley
V: Reckonings
12. 'Revenge of the 'Super Predators'' by Austin McCoy
13. 'Black Bloc Epoch' by Vienna
14. 'Siren Song' by Eva Graham
Afterword by Annie McClanahan
Acknowledgments