Cultural Studies Research Research Articles

Latin American, Caribbean, and Colombian cultural studies trajectories: Cartographies of the relation between culture and power in the region

ABSTRACT This article presents a particular trajectory of Latin American and Caribbean intellectual practices as a contribution to the effort of pluralizing the various genealogies of Cultural Studies conversations, projects, and research and political agendas from a global perspective. It departs from what could be thought as a strategic port encompassing both the analytic of the complex, dynamic, and intertwined relation between culture and power and the recognition of intellectual practices as key elements not only for the diagnosis of the present conjuncture; but also for imagining and enabling other futures. From this vantage point, different intellectual traditions interpellated or not with the cultural studies label are described to historize the Cultural Studies project as one produced from the peripheries of the World System. The article argues that this was the pool of intellectual practices that inspired the institutionalization of Cultural Studies in Colombia in the 1990s. Finally, it describes some of the most pressing and relevant research agendas in the present while arguing that today Cultural Studies in the country is not only an academic project inside universities.

Comprehensive Toolkit to Qualitative Research in Cultural Studies

Comprehensive Toolkit to Qualitative Research in Cultural Studies

Marriage migration, intimacy and genre in Helen Hoang’s The Bride Test (2019) and Brigitte Bautista’s You, Me, U.S. (2019)

A significant strand of cultural and social studies research on late modernity has focused on intimacies; in particular, ‘mediated intimacies’ (Attwood et al., 2017; Barker et al., 2018; Gill, 2009), exploring how the media, in its various forms, represents and affects intimate relationships. Romance fiction, the most popular global genre, offers a key source text for exploring intimate and romantic relationships and the ways culturally and politically specific forms of intimacy are shared transnationally. Of particular interest is the increase in the twenty-first century of romantic stories that deal with the intersection of intimacy and migration. This article brings together critical work on intimacy and affect, scholarship on popular romance, and research on migration and transcultural exchange to explore how contemporary Anglophone popular romance fiction mediates intimate relationships in the context of migration. Focusing on two romance novels featuring South East Asian migration to the USA — Brigitte Bautista’s You, Me, U.S. (2019) and Helen Hoang’s The Bride Test (2019) — I explore how these novels represent marriage migration and its relationship to and impact on intimacy. Both novels are aware of existing stigmas around marriage migration (the risk of abuse or fraudulent marriage), but the association of marriage with ‘authentic’ romantic love in the romance genre ultimately serves to uphold such stigmas, rather than challenge them. The texts pay equally close attention to the performativity of romantic love, noting how heteronormative, western norms of romance are required for migrants but, in the case of You, Me, U.S., can also be queered. These texts are concerned with the movement of people and cultures while themselves travelling across borders as products of a transnational, global publishing market. These fictions, then, showcase how their particular articulations of intimacy offer new insights for scholars interested in marriage migration.

Traditional fermented foods from Côte d'Ivoire: Knowledge, consumption and production methods in five localities surveyed

Traditional fermented foods (TFFs) play a critical role in the diet and cultural heritage of Côte d'Ivoire. This study aimed to explore the diversity, consumption patterns, and production methods of TFFs across five Ivorian cities: Bouaké, Korhogo, Daloa, San Pedro, and Aboisso. A survey conducted with 1894 participants from varied socio-demographic sectors assessed their familiarity with, and consumption of, TFFs. The findings indicate that while only 32.48% of respondents were aware of the term “TFFs,” the specific foods themselves were widely recognized and integrated into daily diets. The most familiar TFFs included “Attiéké" (99.47%), “Placali” (97.04%), “Gnonmi/Wonmi” (97.99%), “Dèguè" (97.04%), “Gari” (97.04%), “Baka/coco baka” (95.25%), “Bandji” (94.09%), “Soumbala” (91.18%), “Adjouevan” (91.18%) and “Tchapalo” (88.70%). Notably, 99% of participants reported including TFFs in their meals, with “Attiéké" and “Placali” being the most prevalent, except in Korhogo, where attiéké and “Soumbala” predominated. The primary motivations for TFFs consumption were preference (794 respondents), accessibility (735) and taste (596). Production techniques varied, with most TFFs being produced through spontaneous fermentation. This study underscores the significant, yet underappreciated, role of TFFs in Ivorian cuisine and suggests potential areas for further research in food science and cultural studies.

Ghãtu: Femininity and Indigenous Aesthetics

Ghãtu is a cultural capital that explores the esteem of femininity and Indigenous aesthetics. Despite its aesthetic value, the main theme is sati custom, the over-exploitation of females. This tribal festival does not only belong to Gurung or Magar. Its horizon is up to Tamang, Dura, Darai, Baram and Aryal Kshetri in central and mid-western Nepal. All of them observe with almost similar methods and rituals. Except for Aryal Kshetri, other Indigenous groups claim that it is their hereditical cultural activity. The slow-motion meditative trance dance and melodious verses of songs represent the aesthetic beauty of Nepali folk music and folklore. The study concerns why ethnic groups adopted Ghãtu and the significance of implications of this cultural activity. The ethnic groups adopted it for its zeal for music. The study's implication is to internalize this folk dance as a source of social integration, human relations, teamwork, music and folk literature, and a goldmine of cultural studies research works. Now, Ghãtu is a common cultural capital and a central stone of indigenous aesthetics and cultural studies. This study aims to project how this cultural activity represents a common cultural heritage like the Chhath festival. The findings of the study show that maintaining integral human relations is impossible until or unless society respects femininity and cultural values. So, culture, language, rites and rituals, and dresses are common, if the mass accepts it. Gender discrimination is another focal point, and there has not been research on how Ghãtu has been the archive and cultural heritage. The study employs document analysis and feminist theories.

Motherhood and consumption: A systematic review and directions for future research

AbstractThis article presents a hybrid literature review on the relationship between motherhood and consumption, encompassing academic research in Business, Management, and Cultural Studies that investigates mothers as consumers and the reciprocal influence between mothers and other actors in family consumption dynamics. Bibliometric research was conducted on 175 articles indexed on the Web of Science using the SPAR‐4‐SLR protocol. It included performance analysis, intellectual and conceptual structure of the field, an evolutionary overview of publications, and a map of trends. Moreover, from the systematic review, a new framework, PTCCM, is proposed to identify the publications' widely used perspectives, theories, constructs, characteristics, and methods. The findings reveal nine major perspectives on motherhood and consumption: consumer socialization and intergenerational influence, consumption and identity, vulnerabilities and public policies, consumption and liminality, influences of children on family consumption, maternal practices, decision‐making and consumption process, gender studies, and advertising. Based on the identified gaps, thematic, theoretical, contextual, and methodological suggestions for future work are presented. This systematic review provides a map for academics and professionals interested in consumption in the context of motherhood, offering a comprehensive overview of the state‐of‐the‐art and research agenda.

Translation of Cultural Conceptualizations in War Literature: A Study of Cultural Schemas and Categories in Translation of Iran–Iraq War Literature

Translation of cultural conceptualizations in the war literature seems to be an overlooked area of research both in Translation Studies and cultural studies dealing with war. In this study, we employed the framework of Cultural Linguistics at the heart of which lies the notion of cultural cognition to analyse translation of cultural schemas and categories in four books selected from the genre of Iran–Iraq war literature. The analysis indicated that typical translation techniques might lead to a change of cultural identity and may not be able to adequately transfer cultural conceptualizations. Therefore, ‘thick translation’ is suggested as a better way of translating them. This study can have implications for the theory and practice of translation and for those studying war from a cultural vantage point.

Photographic Frames in the Westgate Mall Terror Attack Coverage

Literary studies have evolved over the past few decades to include popular culture fields as text. Proponents of this inclusion argue that songs, memes, tweets, local dialects, and slogans say as much about people and cultures as traditional texts – perhaps even more. The opinion is that, by over-relying on traditional text for literary fodder, scholars shut themselves off from current and relevant information about the rapidly evolving literary and cultural landscape. The disregard for popular culture also turns away a younger audience that seems to prefer a more informal approach to art and literature. Thus, the reading of popular cultures as text is forcing the literary field to re-evaluate the fundamental principles that define its work. Literary scholars have to rethink their traditional ideals of writing, reading, and teaching texts. Yet, there remains a reluctance to accept such informal forms of communication as memes and tweets as legitimate literature. Popular culture is not well regarded in literary studies and some stakeholders fear its classification as text could dilute the impact of the field. This paper investigates this trepidation by analyzing how reading popular culture fields as text impacts the identity of text in literary studies. Based on selected tenets of Literary and Cultural Studies (LCS) Research, particularly cultural literacy, this paper examines the legitimacy of different popular culture formats to determine if they hold enough value to warrant literary analysis. The author argues that many forms of popular culture deserve a closer look, especially through a literary lens, because they reveal the cultures, beliefs, and practices of their audience. He suggests that the incorporation of popular culture into literary studies offers many opportunities for growth and discovery but only if implemented diligently. Finally, this paper investigates why the literary field is reluctant to read popular cultures as text and how scholars can navigate this inclusion to create a more cohesive definition of text.

What Next for the ‘Text’? Popular Culture and Literature Today

Literary studies have evolved over the past few decades to include popular culture fields as text. Proponents of this inclusion argue that songs, memes, tweets, local dialects, and slogans say as much about people and cultures as traditional texts – perhaps even more. The opinion is that, by over-relying on traditional text for literary fodder, scholars shut themselves off from current and relevant information about the rapidly evolving literary and cultural landscape. The disregard for popular culture also turns away a younger audience that seems to prefer a more informal approach to art and literature. Thus, the reading of popular cultures as text is forcing the literary field to re-evaluate the fundamental principles that define its work. Literary scholars have to rethink their traditional ideals of writing, reading, and teaching texts. Yet, there remains a reluctance to accept such informal forms of communication as memes and tweets as legitimate literature. Popular culture is not well regarded in literary studies and some stakeholders fear its classification as text could dilute the impact of the field. This paper investigates this trepidation by analyzing how reading popular culture fields as text impacts the identity of text in literary studies. Based on selected tenets of Literary and Cultural Studies (LCS) Research, particularly cultural literacy, this paper examines the legitimacy of different popular culture formats to determine if they hold enough value to warrant literary analysis. The author argues that many forms of popular culture deserve a closer look, especially through a literary lens, because they reveal the cultures, beliefs, and practices of their audience. He suggests that the incorporation of popular culture into literary studies offers many opportunities for growth and discovery but only if implemented diligently. Finally, this paper investigates why the literary field is reluctant to read popular cultures as text and how scholars can navigate this inclusion to create a more cohesive definition of text.

Cue card conversations to investigate domestic practices and energy demand

AbstractThis article discusses using cue cards, also known as flashcards, and metaphorical cards to prompt and enhance conversations on the implications of domestic practices and energy demand. This cue card methodology has a long pedigree in qualitative sociological and cultural studies research. We discuss the challenges and benefits of cue card methodology in geographical research. To do this, we share our insights from applying cue cards within a mixed‐method study conducted on domestic energy practices in relation to aging well at home. The study focused on individuals aged over 60, living in the Illawarra, New South Wales, Australia. We conclude that when mindful of potential constraints, cue card conversations can effectively assist participants reflect on domestic practices and energy demand.

Preface: 2023 International Conference on Innovation Management, Psychology, Education and Sociology (IMPES 2023)

The 2023 International Conference on Innovation Management, Psychology, Education and Sociology (IMPES 2023) was held during December 09-10, 2023 in Sapporo, Japan. The main objectives of the conference are to promote research and development activities in innovation management, social psychology, educational technology, cultural studies, social policy, and sociology. Another goal is to promote the exchange of scientific information among researchers, developers, students, and practitioners around the world. IMPES 2023 can be a scientific forum to accommodate fruitful discussion among international researchers in various fields. We would like to thank all speakers, invited guests, and also other parties and donors for their continuous support to the success of this event. Hopefully, this event provides many benefits for us all.
 Conference Organizing Chair
 Sapporo, Japan

Українсько-польський культурний діалог театральних практик в українській спеціалізованій періодиці 2014–2023 років

Background. Cultural and artistic international relations remain a highly relevant research area in current globalization processes, especially the threatening political redistribution of spheres of influence by antagonist states. Cultural dialogue, including the "soft power" of cultural diplomacy, is a crucial communicative tool for mutual understanding. Theater arts hold a special place in this process. The article aims to explore the specifics of cultural and artistic dialogue development between Ukrainian and Polish theaters via the analysis of Ukrainian specialized periodicals from 2014 to 2023. The related task is to define the degree of scientific elaboration of the problem. This research continues the problem's scientific exploration presented in the article "Cultural and Artistic Dialogue of Ukrainian Theaters on the Pages of Polish Periodicals at the Beginning of the 21st Century." Methods. To confirm the working hypothesis methods of observation, analysis, comparison, and experiment were used; the study is based on the axiological, informational, systematic, historical approaches. Results. The article presents the conducted analysis of the publications (dated from 2014 to 2023) dedicated to Ukrainian-Polish cultural relations in Ukrainian printed and electronic theater studies editions, mainly in journals such as "Ukrainian Theater," "Proscenium," and "Cinema-Theater." Conclusions. Analysis indicates the intensity of creative communications between theater groups of both countries, and interest in international contacts at national, institutional, and personal levels. The qualitative data obtained are significant for interdisciplinary research in cultural studies, and practical cultural diplomacy. It also will be useful for cultural anthropologists, sociologists, political scientists, journalists, art critics, and theater critics.

Minding the Metropolis: Precarity, Urbanity, and Mental Conditions: A Response to Ankhi Mukherjee’s Unseen City: The Psychic Lives of the Urban Poor

AbstractThis article situates psychoanalysis, urbanity, and precarity apropos of the material, affective, and memory economy of the mutable metropolis marked by visuality, velocity, and violence. Responding to Ankhi Mukherjee’s Unseen City: The Psychic Lives of the Urban Poor, the article examines the interplay of visibility and invisibility in a metropolis and how that is in close and complex correspondence to the politics of precarity and privilege. Drawing on historical as well as recent research in psychology, psychoanalysis, cognitive theory, and cultural studies across various geopolitical settings, this article, through a response to and reading of Mukherjee’s book, aims to articulate and illustrate the unique relevance of literature and aesthetic education in a study of mental health conditions in the (un)seen city. It argues that such psychic and social situations may be uniquely encoded and addressed with ethics and empathy through the cognitive interiority and symbolic instrumentality afforded by the affective and liminal framework of aesthetic activity and fiction.

Incorporating digital animation in a school play: multimodal literacies, structure of feeling and resources of hope

AbstractIn this study, we reflect on our work with 10‐ and 11‐year‐olds in an inner London primary school developing a multimodal school play that integrated digital animation into a more conventionally structured Year 6 production. We are media literacy, drama and cultural studies researchers and teachers, arguing for more inclusive, holistic and multimodal schooled literacy practices. We explore roles and opportunities for enactment that the multimodal school play offers, while looking at pupil empowerment through the mobilisation of pupils' existing capabilities and sensitivities. We present a case study that employs semi‐structured interviews and observations from which we construct visual and analytic narratives with a focus on participants' practices and responses. Raymond Williams's ‘structure of feeling’ and ‘Resources of Hope’ help us make sense of our data. In particular, we note the emergence of new roles through literacy practices that incorporate the tools and artefacts of animation. We highlight the affective dimension and inclusive nature of emergent literacy practices that integrate interactive drama and meaning‐making with digital media and look at how these practices have the potential to disrupt entrenched classroom hierarchies and tackle inequalities, particularly for children who are disenfranchised by schooling and traditional school literacy practices.

‘Take Up Your Mat and Walk’: [Dis-] Abled Bodies of Communication and Early Christian Wandering

Early Christianity relied heavily on walking, yet New Testament Studies has largely neglected the cultural significance of walking in the ancient world and its connection to Early Christian communication. Walking, often seen as a conscious cultural act, is often overlooked in scholarly discourse, with the focus primarily on its symbolic aspects. Drawing from interdisciplinary research in classics, cultural studies, and social science, this study aims to explore how early Christian bodily movement and communication have been perceived and culturally appropriated in European and North American scholarship. It presents three case studies: the portrayal of disabled bodies’ movements in healings, the interpretation of Jesus and his disciples as itinerant wanderers, and the examination of walking in Pauline literature as a means of profiling missionary success.

Conceptual Metaphor in SZA's Song Lyrics

The purpose of this study is to examine how conceptual metaphors are used by SZA in her song lyrics. Finding the source domain and target domain of the conceptual metaphors used in song lyrics is the main goal of this study. A descriptive qualitative research approach is used, which includes semantic analysis and conceptual metaphor mapping in song lyrics. The information used consists of five well-known SZA songs that were specifically chosen. The author defines conceptual metaphors in 5 lyrics from SZA's song. In the “Kill Bill” song there is 1 conceptual metaphor, in the “Snooze” song there are 2 conceptual metaphors, in the “The Weekend” song there 3 conceptual metaphors, in the “Nobody Gets Me” song there are 4 conceptual metaphors, and in the “Open Arms” song there is 1 conceptual metaphor. The research provides our understanding of how conceptual metaphor is used in song lyrics and shows the depth of creativity and artistic expression found in SZA's songs. The findings of this study may be helpful for future semantics and cultural studies research, as well as for developing a deeper understanding of both the complexity and the beauty of SZA's song lyrics.
 Keywords: Conceptual metaphor, Lyrics, Songs, Semantics

Popular Culture as an Educative Teaching Tool in the Elementary Classroom

The purpose of this research was to investigate popular culture as a means to educate in the elementary school classroom. Using secondary research in education and cultural studies, we investigated how teachers can use popular media to enhance student learning and develop critical media literacy skills. Findings revealed popular culture is a helpful teaching tool in elementary school classrooms. Knowledge of popular culture does not impede education but is a large part of students’ literacy practices. By embracing popular culture, students develop the literacies needed to navigate 21st century schools and engage in critical pedagogy. Further studies are needed to establish the practical ways elementary school teachers can use popular texts in their classrooms and overcome literacy challenges they may face.

The trends of the cultural studies development in the modern conditions: the case of Ukraine

The trends of cultural studies development in current conditions are analyzed in the article, with the case of Ukraine serving as an example. Cultural studies are gradually being transformed from an abstract sphere of philosophizing into a scientifically significant field. This transformation is supported by the review of candidate and doctoral dissertations, which demonstrate a shift towards applied science. The research in cultural studies adequately reflects the particularity of the current state of scientific practice, characterized by interdisciplinarity that significantly expands its potential for a flexible understanding of cultural practices. This transformation is driven by objective reasons, as the network of educational institutions, creative teams, concert venues, and other organizations in the field of music is the most extensive. It is asserted that cultural mentality, like any other type of mentality, is based on archetypes and embodied in myths. Cultural myths appeal to larger social mythological systems, leading to the transformation of cultural studies into the meaning of culture, which carries the imprint of corresponding chronotopes and worldviews. The current project is rooted in the idea of a total synthesis of cultures based on universals. In contrast, the postmodern project is motivated by the idea of deconstruction and the rhetoric of differences. Consequently, universalistic cultural studies tend to integrate various disciplines at the methodological level and aim to model the totality of world culture. On the other hand, particularistic cultural studies tend to reduce cultural studies to one of the components of cultural studies (typically aesthetics and art studies) at the methodological and subject levels, focusing on the investigation of individual components (genres, styles, ethnicities) of the phenomenon under study. The roots of cultural axiology can be traced back to the archetypal matrix of Greek-Orthodox thinking. It has provided strong traditions of cultural philosophy and its axiological reflection in Ukrainian humanistic thought. The traditional understanding of culture in Ukraine is deeply symbolic, axiological, and sacred.

Theorizing Cultural Heritage Informatics as the Intersection of Heritage, Memory, and Information

ABSTRACTThis paper explores the relationship between cultural heritage and collective memory through the lens of information. We explicitly frame the heritage‐memory‐relationship as constituting a theoretical foundation for the field of Cultural Heritage Informatics. In framing heritage and memory as information phenomena, we leverage two information frameworks that appear most suitable to host, translate, and overlay heritage and memory theory: Context, relevance, and labor (Fremery and Buckland, 2022) and Information as thing (Buckland, 1991). Altogether, this preliminary exploration 1) establishes a terminological understanding of cultural heritage, collective memory, and information/informatics; 2) maps these concepts with recourse to the Context, relevance and labor framework (Fremery and Buckland, 2022); 3) articulates cultural heritage informatics as the intersection of heritage and memory focused on processes of selection, transfer, and integration of historic information in the service of identity maintenance; and 4) offers a cultural heritage information framework that highlights the unique potential of Cultural Heritage Informatics to guide future information research in cultural information studies.

Change of paradigms in popular culture on the example of the concepts of "maiden-in-distress" and "maiden-warrior"

The article deals with two popular concepts in modern mass culture - "maiden-in-distress" and "maiden-warrior". These concepts are basic in the construction and creation of a product of mass culture. Meanwhile, there is a greater interest in the "maiden-warrior" phenomenon than in its opposite, "maiden-in-distress". The author shows that the study of femininity, feminine, the woman and her role and place in modern society and its interpretation in modern popular and mass culture is of scientific interest for researchers in literary criticism, cultural studies, philosophy, and sociology. The article provides examples of mass culture products where these archetypal images are used, as well as film and television adaptations of modern female images. It is shown how their interpretation is influenced by public opinion and modern and mainstream trends, which, most often, offer a "different vision" for ordinary and traditional things. The materials of the article can be useful within the framework of areas related to philosophy, history, and cultural studies.