Popular culture as a resource for political engagement

Inthorn, Sanna, Street, John ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9650-063X and Scott, Martin ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6744-443X (2013) Popular culture as a resource for political engagement. Cultural Sociology, 7 (3). pp. 336-351. ISSN 1749-9763

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Abstract

Based on focus groups and interviews with first-time voters in the UK, this study reflects critically on the role of popular culture as a resource of political engagement. Unlike previous studies it looks at a wide range of popular culture and suggests that entertainment television, video games and popular music provide young citizens with some of the resources they need to actively engage in the public sphere. Young citizens struggle to see the relevance of formal politics in their everyday lives, yet they see themselves as part of a political community and connect with its concerns. They use media texts to learn about social and political issues and to explore the moral values that underpin the society in which they live. While some critics have suggested that the media disconnect citizens from their communities, the findings of this study suggest that media texts are a resource which prepares young people for their engagement in the public sphere.

Item Type: Article
Faculty \ School: Faculty of Social Sciences > School of Global Development (formerly School of International Development)
Faculty of Arts and Humanities > School of Art, Media and American Studies
Faculty of Arts and Humanities > School of Politics, Philosophy, Language and Communication Studies
UEA Research Groups: Faculty of Arts and Humanities > Research Groups > Film, Television and Media
Faculty of Arts and Humanities > Research Groups > Political, Social and International Studies
Faculty of Arts and Humanities > Research Groups > Cultural Politics, Communications & Media
Faculty of Arts and Humanities > Research Groups > Policy & Politics
Faculty of Social Sciences > Research Centres > Centre for Competition Policy
Faculty of Social Sciences > Research Groups > The State, Governance and Conflict
Depositing User: John Street
Date Deposited: 20 Feb 2013 11:22
Last Modified: 26 Mar 2024 17:30
URI: https://ueaeprints.uea.ac.uk/id/eprint/41183
DOI: 10.1177/1749975512457141

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