July 29–31, 2019, Kyoto Seika University
Pop culture is one of the most salient driving forces in the globalization and innovation of cultures. Pop is also a sphere where politics, identities, and social questions are negotiated. Rather than denoting only the culture for and of the masses, pop is characterized by the dialectical interplay between mainstream and subculture, their respective milieus and markets. Today, the theory and practice of pop is thoroughly globalized and hybrid. Pop exists only in plural. Global pop cultures are characterized by a high degree of variability, plasticity, and connectivity. A further reason for the growing complexity of global pop cultures is the fact that pop is no longer only a DIY culture of amateurs. Pop has become academic, oscillating between educational institutions, mainstream entertainment, underground (sub)cultures, the fine arts, and various mixed forms.
As a part of the Shared Campus cooperation platform, the focus group Pop Cultures is establishing a research network dedicated to the study of global pop cultures. The conference and internal workshop “Global Pop Cultures. Moving Beyond the High–Low, East–West Divide” will initiate this network. Our aim is to discuss the globalization of pop cultures from a transcultural perspective (Europe and Asia), considering commonalities as well as spatial and historical idiosyncrasies. The internal workshop is intended for the development of future joint projects and events.