Abstract

This article aims to present the intellectual project of cultural studies and to integrate it into contemporary thinking about cultural transmission to guide social development. Cultural studies is considered a specific interdisciplinary approach to the study of popular culture. By reviewing the theoretical sources, the authors address the definition of culture within this field. The development of cultural studies, along with the critique of its expansion and its potential future directions, is explored. Although the social context of cultural studies has evolved since its emergence in the 1960s—due to factors like tertiarization, class fragmentation, and globalization—the project remains relevant. It continues to recognize the potential of culture as a catalyst for social change and the emancipation of subordinated groups, including youth, women, and racial and ethnic minorities. Consequently, the article positions cultural studies as a distinct form of critical thinking whose proponents should be closely linked to the practice of social movements and identity politics in contemporary society.