"Cultural studies researchers generally investigate how cultural practices relate to wider systems of power associated with, or operating through, social phenomena."
A field of study that explores the production, consumption, and distribution of culture within societies.
Culture: The beliefs, customs, practices, and social norms of a society or group. Culture can refer to both material and non-material aspects of a society.
Identity: The set of characteristics and traits that define an individual or group. Identity can be shaped by cultural factors, such as race, ethnicity, gender, and sexuality.
Power: The ability to influence and control others. Power can be linked to social hierarchies, such as those based on race, class, gender, and sexuality.
Representation: The ways in which groups and individuals are depicted in media, literature, and other forms of cultural expression. Representation can be linked to stereotypes and biases.
Difference and diversity: The recognition and celebration of differences among individuals and groups. This includes differences in race, ethnicity, gender, sexuality, and other factors.
Colonialism and imperialism: The historical and ongoing processes of domination and exploitation of non-Western societies by Western powers. These processes have had lasting effects on culture, identity, and power dynamics in the world.
Globalization: The increasing interconnectedness of people and cultures around the world. Globalization has both positive and negative effects on cultural identity and power dynamics.
Intersectionality: The recognition of how multiple forms of oppression (e.g. racism, classism, heterosexism) intersect and reinforce each other. Intersectional approaches emphasize the importance of understanding the complex ways in which identities intersect and shape experiences of power and privilege.
Feminism: A social and political movement that seeks to address and eliminate gender-based oppression. Feminist theory and practice are central to Gender and Sexuality Studies and Cultural Studies.
Queer theory: A theoretical framework that explores the ways in which sexuality is socially constructed and connected to power dynamics. Queer theory emphasizes the importance of understanding sexuality as a fluid and diverse aspect of identity.
Postcolonial theory: A theoretical framework that examines the ongoing effects of colonialism and imperialism on culture, identity, and power dynamics. Postcolonial theory seeks to challenge Euro-centric ways of thinking and promotes the voices and perspectives of non-Western societies.
Race and ethnicity: The social and cultural constructions of race and ethnicity and their impact on identity, power, and privilege.
Class: The social and economic divisions that exist in society, and their impact on culture, identity, and power dynamics.
Language: The ways in which language is used to create and reinforce cultural norms and identities. Language can be linked to power dynamics and the marginalization of certain groups.
Performance and performativity: The ways in which cultural norms and identities are constructed and reinforced through everyday performances and interactions.
Visual culture: The study of visual media, such as film, television, advertising, and art, and their impact on culture and identity.
Music and popular culture: The study of music and other forms of popular culture and their impact on culture and identity.
Environmental studies: The study of the relationships between human societies and nature, and how cultural factors influence those relationships.
Media Studies: This type of cultural study focuses on the analysis of media and their influence on society, culture, and individuals.
Semiotics and Discourse Analysis: This type of cultural study examines how different linguistic and cultural signs are used to create meaning.
Postcolonial Studies: This type of cultural study investigates the cultural, social, and economic effects of colonialism and decolonization.
Ethnic Studies: This type of cultural study analyzes the cultural practices, identities, and histories of various ethnic groups.
Gender Studies: This type of cultural study explores the social, political, and cultural constructions of gender and sexuality.
Cultural Anthropology: This type of cultural study investigates the cultural practices, values, and beliefs of different societies.
Critical Race Studies: This type of cultural study examines the intersection of race, power, and inequality and how these factors shape society.
Critical Disability Studies: This type of cultural study explores the intersection of disability, power, and inequality and how they influence social interactions.
Performance Studies: This type of cultural study examines the role of performance in shaping cultural practices and identities.
Queer Studies: This type of cultural study examines the social, political, and cultural constructions of gender and sexuality within the LGBTQ+ community.
"Cultural studies views cultures not as fixed, bounded, stable, and discrete entities, but rather as constantly interacting and changing sets of practices and processes."
"These include ideology, class structures, national formations, ethnicity, sexual orientation, gender, and generation."
"Cultural studies combines a variety of politically engaged critical approaches drawn including semiotics, Marxism, feminist theory, ethnography, post-structuralism, postcolonialism, social theory, political theory, history, philosophy, literary theory, media theory, film/video studies, communication studies, political economy, translation studies, museum studies and art history/criticism."
"Cultural studies was initially developed by British Marxist academics in the late 1950s, 1960s, and 1970s."
"A key concern for cultural studies practitioners is the examination of the forces within and through which socially organized people conduct and participate in the construction of their everyday lives."
"Cultural studies seeks to understand how meaning is generated, disseminated, contested, bound up with systems of power and control, and produced from the social, political and economic spheres within a particular social formation or conjuncture."
"The movement has generated important theories of cultural hegemony and agency."
"During the rise of neoliberalism in Britain and the US, cultural studies both became a global movement, and attracted the attention of many conservative opponents both within and beyond universities for a variety of reasons."
"Cultural studies is avowedly and even radically interdisciplinary and can sometimes be seen as anti-disciplinary."
"Cultural studies views cultures not as fixed, bounded, stable, and discrete entities, but rather as constantly interacting and changing sets of practices and processes."
"...cultural studies draws upon and has contributed to each of these fields."
"Distinct approaches to cultural studies have emerged in different national and regional contexts."
"Employing cultural analysis, cultural studies views cultures not as fixed, bounded, stable, and discrete entities, but rather as constantly interacting and changing sets of practices and processes."
"A key concern for cultural studies practitioners is the examination of the forces within and through which socially organized people conduct and participate in the construction of their everyday lives."
"Its practitioners attempt to explain and analyze the cultural forces related and processes of globalization."
"Cultural studies examines the dynamics of contemporary culture (including its politics and popular culture) and its historical foundations."
"The field of cultural studies encompasses a range of theoretical and methodological perspectives and practices."
"A worldwide movement of students and practitioners with a raft of scholarly associations and programs, annual international conferences and publications carry on work in this field today."
"Cultural studies researchers generally investigate how cultural practices relate to wider systems of power associated with, or operating through, social phenomena."