Arnold Schwarzenegger is at the center of multiple overlapping themes that have defined the United States over the past fifty years: immigration and the American Dream, body and gender, Hollywood and the star system, public images and political campaigns, and California conservatism and the challenge of green politics. In his careers as a bodybuilder, film star, and politician, Schwarzenegger both shaped and was shaped by the discourses that define how we think about American history, culture, and politics. Consequently, studying Arnold Schwarzenegger means much more than studying a famous bodybuilder, actor, or politician: it means studying America.

The contributors to this volume are scholars from the fields of history, political science, art history, media studies, film studies, cultural studies, and American studies. As they bring the concepts of "body" and "image" to bear on Schwarzenegger, they provide a unique perspective on both this cultural icon and on contemporary America.