Cultural studies is an interdisciplinary field of academic inquiry that analyzes the production, circulation, and reception of cultural artifacts, practices, and meanings within society. It emerged in the mid-20th century as a response to traditional disciplinary boundaries and seeks to understand culture in its broadest sense, encompassing not only high art and literature but also everyday practices, popular culture, media, and subcultures.

Key aspects of cultural studies include:

1. Interdisciplinarity: Cultural studies draws on insights and methodologies from various disciplines, including sociology, anthropology, literary theory, media studies, gender studies, postcolonial studies, and critical theory. It encourages scholars to approach cultural phenomena from multiple perspectives, recognizing the complex interplay of social, political, economic, and historical factors.
2. Critique of Power: Cultural studies critically examines the ways in which power operates within culture, shaping representations, identities, and social relations. Scholars analyze how dominant groups exert influence and control over cultural production and consumption, while also exploring forms of resistance and subversion by marginalized or subaltern groups.
3. Popular Culture: Cultural studies places a particular emphasis on the study of popular culture, including mass media, television, film, music, fashion, advertising, and digital media. Scholars analyze how popular texts and practices reflect broader social trends, ideologies, and power dynamics, as well as how audiences interpret and negotiate meaning.
4. Identity and Difference: Cultural studies explores how culture constructs and shapes individual and collective identities, including those based on gender, race, class, sexuality, nationality, and ethnicity. Scholars investigate the ways in which cultural representations and discourses influence perceptions of self and other, as well as processes of identity formation and negotiation.
5. Globalization and Transnationalism: Cultural studies examines the cultural flows and exchanges that occur in an increasingly interconnected world. Scholars analyze how globalization impacts cultural production, consumption, and hybridization, as well as how transnational movements challenge dominant cultural norms and boundaries.

Overall, cultural studies offers a dynamic and critical approach to understanding the complexities of culture and society, illuminating the ways in which culture both reflects and shapes social life. It provides tools for analyzing cultural texts, practices, and institutions, as well as insights into the power dynamics and social inequalities that underlie cultural phenomena.