Cultural Studies: Bridging Academia and The Public Sphere

Peer-Reviewed
The Criterion

The Criterion: An International Journal in English ISSN: 0976-8165

Open Access

Cultural Studies

Cultural Studies: Bridging Academia and The Public Sphere

Soumyakanta Senapati, Lopamudra Jena
Volume / Issue
Vol. 17, Issue 1 · February 2026

Pages
952-963

Article 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 StudiesAcademiaPublic SpherePowerCulture

Article History

Received
31-01-2026
Accepted
13 February 2026
Published Online
3 February 2026

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. DOI: https://doi.org/10.66376/criterion.v17.n1.62

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