You are invited to the M-Defence of Ms Laetitia Cassells of the Department of Information Science that will take place on Thursday, 26 November 2015 at 10:00 in IT 4-58.

 

Magic to manic: The evolution of the Zombie figure in fiction and its basis in moral panic dissemination

Using a cultural studies framework and Bourdieu’s theory of cultural exchange this study attempts to explore the relationship between the cultural anxieties that contribute to moral panic creation and the development of Zombie figures in horror literature.

A bibliography of Zombie literature spanning from 1920 to 2013 is analysed to firstly identify what types of Zombie figures are popular in specific timeframes, then to juxtapose Zombie figures with prominent moral panics identified through an analysis of secondary sources.

The cultural anxieties that influence moral panics are found to shape the Zombie figures that are produced by cultures that are influenced by them leading to a greater understanding of reader motivation and choices.