The Return of the 90s

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 University