MJ Studies Today IV (14-04-16)

Abstract: April 2016 has been incredibly exciting and thought-provoking in the world of Michael Jackson Studies. Column by Elizabeth Amisu, MA, PGCE, editor of The Journal of Michael Jackson Academic Studies and author of The Dangerous Philosophies of Michael Jackson: His Music, His Persona, and His Artistic Afterlife. REFERENCE AS: Amisu, Read More …

Episode 6 – ‘Michael Jackson’s Journey from Motown to ‘Off The Wall”

Abstract: In this sixth episode, Elizabeth and Karin discuss the 2016 documentary, Michael Jackson’s Journey from Motown to ‘Off The Wall’, directed by Spike Lee. Their discussion begins with Lee’s body of work, and how it connects with this particular documentary, and go on to explore the use of Read More …

From Throne to Wilderness: Michael Jackson’s ‘Stranger in Moscow’ and the Foucauldian Outlaw

In 1993, a horde of Californian ‘police and prosecutors spent millions of dollars to create a case whose foundation never existed’.1 Their fruitless efforts were to incriminate Michael Jackson, a black artist who was the most commercially successful in the world. Jackson, who was in Russia on his Dangerous tour, wrote the song, Stranger in Moscow, in response to the severity of his accusations, the eagerness of the media to sensationalise them and the willingness of the public to believe them. This essay examines how Michael Jackson’s Stranger in Moscow, relates to philosopher, Michel Foucault’s concept of ‘power’.

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Episode 1 – Was Michael Jackson an Artist?

Abstract: In this first ever episode of Michael Jackson’s Dream Lives On: An Academic Conversation, Karin and Elizabeth discuss Michael Jackson’s 1991 Black or White short film, directed by John Landis, who was also the director of the Thriller short film. The discussion of Jackson’s ‘Panther Dance’, also known as the Read More …