Abstract

The paper considers cultural studies as a specific interdisciplinary approach to the study of popular culture. The definition of culture in the discourse of cultural studies and the development of this intellectual project are specified, with associated criticisms of its proliferation and possible direction of development. The first part of the paper presents the work of the Center for Contemporary Cultural Studies in Birmingham (CCCS) as a canon of cultural studies, highlighting its key intellectual sources, representatives and research topics (e.g. the concept of ideology, women’s studies, ethnicity and racial issues). The second part of the paper considers the spread of cultural studies beyond the British context and its current global presence. Although the social context of cultural studies has changed since the time of their appearance in the 1960s (tertiarization, fragmentation of classes, expansion of the Internet, globalization of culture, etc.), it is concluded that this project retains its importance in order to recognize the possibility of culture as a catalyst for social changes and the emancipation of disadvantaged groups (classes, youth, women, racial, ethnic, sexual and religious minorities, etc.). Cultural studies should remain a specific critical thought about society, whose representatives are closely related to the practice of social movements and identity politics in contemporary society.

Presenters

Toni Popovic
Postdoctoral Fellow, Department of Sociology, Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, University of Split, Splitsko-dalmatinska županija, Croatia

Details

Presentation Type

Paper Presentation in a Themed Session

Theme

Sustaining Crisis: (de)growth, Alternative Economies, Greenwashing, Social and Political Movements

KEYWORDS

Keywords: Cultural Studies, Culture, Birmingham School, Ideology, Globalization, Social Movements

Digital Media

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