This collection constitutes a salutory demonstration that Britain no longer serves as the centre for cultural studies. Engaging the critical discourses of feminism, postmodernism and postcolonialism, the contributions explore the renegotiations and changes in cultural studies in the wake of its export from Britain. In particular, the volume shows how to understand the lived experiences of marginalized groups, including women and aboriginal peoples in postcolonial states. Questions about the ongoing globalization of capital and culture are linked to constructions of national, local and individual identities. The alternative relocations of cultural studies offered here manifest two not incommensurate trends: Some contributors consider how textual processes of representation articulate with exclusionary practices. Others keep alive a sense of politics in respect of institutional and policy debates. The result is an invigorated cultural studies which moves between theory and practice, gives primacy to tensions between extra-local centres of political and economic power, and considers lived experiences within their specific geo-cultural contexts.
It is a collection that can serve as an introduction to cultural studies, a critical re-evaluation of its earlier applications, and a compendium of current theoretical and research interests.