Cultural Studies: Bridging Academia and The Public Sphere

The Criterion: An International Journal in English
ISSN: 0976-8165 | Impact Factor: 8.67 | Peer-Reviewed | Open Access
Cultural Studies

Cultural Studies: Bridging Academia and The Public Sphere

Soumyakanta Senapati, Lopamudra Jena
Vol. 17, Issue 1February 2026Pages 952-963Article ID: 2026V17N1102

Abstract

Cultural Studies emerged as an interdisciplinary field that redefined culture as a site of struggle rather than mere aesthetic expression. Originating in British academia with the Birmingham Centre for Contemporary Cultural Studies, it foregrounded the analysis of everyday life, examining power relations and ideological structures while bridging the gap between academia and the public sphere. By studying traditions, beliefs, customs, rituals, language, and forms of artistic and intellectual creativity, Cultural Studies critiques dominant structures and explores marginalized voices. In India, institutions like the Centre for the Study of Culture and Society have adapted these frameworks to local contexts, engaging with caste, gender, media, and indigenous cultures. This paper attempts to show how Cultural Studies operates both within and beyond academic institutions, investigating the production and circulation of cultural meanings, and examines its role in politically and socially intervening to foster critical consciousness, resistance, and transformative social change.

Keywords

Cultural Studies, Academia, Public Sphere, Power, Culture

How to Cite

Soumyakanta Senapati, Lopamudra Jena. “Cultural Studies: Bridging Academia and The Public Sphere.” The Criterion: An International Journal in English, vol. 17, no. 1, Feb. 2026, pp. 952-963. ISSN: 0976-8165.

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