Communication Games

Reviews / Votes

Over the past twenty years the insights of semiotics have inspired and guided research across the whole spectrum of the humanities - from anthropology to queer theory, from literary history to film studies, from philosophy to art history. Yet with time the imbalances and fault lines within the original core of semiotic theory have also emerged, or half emerged. Neiva names and defines a set of problems that semiotics must finally resolve - before the whole engine runs out of steam. A daring, inventive, passionately original book, this is essential reading for everyone concerned with culture, signs, meanings, subjects. Norman Bryson Blending social history with evolutionary biology, Eduardo Neiva shows how sexual selection impacts cultural practice through complex communicative exchange. Debunking conventional explanations of cultural development, the author employs a massive body of evidence ranging from the bloody battlegrounds of ancient conflict to the technologically-driven terrain of contemporary life to fashion an intriguing argument. James Lull, San Jose State University