In 1957 the Soviets launched Sputnik, the world's first satellite, into space. At the turn of the twenty-first century, more than eight thousand satellites orbited the Earth. Enabling pictures of the whole planet, simultaneous live broadcasts to people on different continents, and much more, satellites have fundamentally reconfigured understandings of ourselves in relation to others around the world and our planet in relation to the cosmos. In Cultures in Orbit, Lisa Parks analyzes different uses of satellite television in order to rethink the meanings of and relations between television and "the global." In the process, she shows that the many convergences between televisual and satellite technologies necessitate an expanded definition of "television"--one encompassing military monitoring, public education, and scientific observation as well as commercial entertainment and public broadcasting. Roaming across the disciplines of media studies, geography, and science and technology studies, Parks examines specific uses of satellites by broadcasters, archaeologists, military intelligence officers, and astronomers.
She looks at the first live international television broadcast, which reached five hundred million viewers in twenty-four countries in 1967, and Imparja tv, an Aboriginal satellite tv network in Australia. Turning to satellites' remote sensing capabilities, she explores the U.S. military's production of satellite images of the war in Bosnia as well as archaeologists' use of satellite imagery in the excavation of Cleopatra's palace in Alexandria, Egypt. Parks's reflections on how Western fantasies of control are implicated in the Hubble telescope's observations of outer space point to a broader concern she highlights: that while satellite television creates a "global village," it also cuts and divides the planet in ways that extend the cultural and economic hegemony of the post-industrial West.
Industry Reviews
"Cultures in Orbit is a welcome contribution to the study of converging media technologies that draws on too often distinct ideas in cultural studies, visual studies, technology studies, media studies, and studies in globalization. Lisa Parks offers a deft and nuanced analysis of satellite-television interdependency in diverse geopolitical sites, demonstrating with admirable lucidity how each constellation of imaging/viewing practices arises from a specific combination of technological, commercial, military, aesthetic, and cultural forces. This book illuminates the materiality of technology and its crucial role(s) in mediating the images and events we call Earth."--Jody Berland, editor of TOPIA: Canadian Journal of Cultural Studies "Cultures in Orbit is a stunning achievement. Lisa Parks weaves a fascinating tale of the culture of the satellite, one that changes how we think about media and globalization. Parks's compelling and original account demonstrates how profoundly the televisual imagination has shaped culture and knowledge production in the global age. Deftly combining cultural theory with extensive research across archives and disciplines, this book is a must-read for anyone interested in the geopolitical processes of media and the politics of technological change."--Anna McCarthy, author of Ambient Television: Visual Culture and Public Space "A fascinating study of satellite information gathering... Highly recommended."--R. Cathcart, Choice "Lisa Parks examines an admirably wide range of texts... Cultures in Orbit is a remarkably interdisciplinary work that traverses vast terrain and crosses all kinds of borders with a clearly defined purpose and meticulously constructed arguments... An impressive work that is extraordinarily efficient as well as readable."--Gerald Sim, Screening the Past "Cultures in Orbit introduces a new perspective on the culture of the satellite. This book would benefit those interested in media studies, cultural studies, technology studies, visual studies and globalization studies."--Lamees M. El Baghdady, Transnational Broadcasting Studies "Parks is accomplished at cultural theory and she knows the history of television and cinema well... Her book could serve well in a variety of contexts for undergraduate and graduate classes."-- John Cloud, Technology and Culture "Cultures in Orbit is an insightful work that is not only helpful for those interested in satellites, but it can provide a framework for studying other communication technologies."-- Howard Fremeth, Topia "This is a fascinating book, and Parks' thoughts on satellite television reconfiguring 'the global' are important, insightful and persuasive."--Brett Christophers, Cultural Geographies
