ideas for a research paper on pop culture

220 Pop Culture Topics for an A+ Essay

There are many ways to define popular culture . Here’s one of them: pop culture includes mainstream preferences in society within a specific time frame. It covers fashion, music, language, and even food. Pop culture is always evolving, engaging in new trends, and leaving the old ones behind.

This article offers you a list of pop culture topics covering its numerous aspects. Continue reading to find helpful tips on how to choose a perfect topic for your assignment. And don’t forget that custom-writing.org is ready to help you with any task. Check out our resources!

🔝 Top 10 Pop Culture Topics

✅ how to choose a topic, ⭐ top 10 pop culture essay topics.

🎵 Music Topics
📰 Mass Media Topics
📚 Popular Literature
📺 Movies & T.V.
🇺🇸 American Pop Culture
🌐 Internet Phenomena
✍️ Pop Culture Analysis
🤔 Pop Culture & Social Issues

🔍 References

How is politics related to sport?
Is religion related to pop culture?
Does music affect the fashion industry?
The ways technology affects pop culture
Is traveling a part of modern pop culture?
Pop culture’s impact on consumer behavior
How does globalization affect pop culture?
Is there a negative effect of popular fiction?
Entertainment industry during different generations
How does fandom culture vary around the world?

Choosing a topic is the first step towards completing an assignment. This section will help middle, high school, and college students identify the right subject for an essay. Ask yourself these questions:

What are the requirements? Make sure you understand the task you need to complete.
You are free to choose your topic. Keep in mind the purpose of the course and the material covered in class. Brainstorm your ideas and choose the one you like the most!
You are provided with a list of topics to choose from. In this case, start by reviewing every option. Eliminate the ones you are least excited about. Then, select a subject that seems the most interesting to you.
What do you already know? Of course, you could choose a topic that is brand-new for you. But working with a familiar subject will make the research easier.
What does your instructor say about the topic? Don’t hesitate to consult with your instructors before writing. Make sure that the selected topic fits the requirements.

Now you understand how to select the right subject for your assignment. Let’s see the topic options! If you looked through the list but still haven’t found anything that insterests you, try your luck with an essay ideas generator .

Gender equality in fashion
Is food a part of pop culture?
Characteristics of pop art
Pop culture vs. folk culture
K-pop culture’s impact on fashion
How cultural appropriation affects media
Consumer culture and the world economy
Entertainment industry and mental health
The role of media in the music industry
Is TikTok a part of modern pop culture?

🎵 Popular Culture Topics about Music

Music never stops changing. It came a long way from hand-crafted instruments to computer programming. You can write about music that was popular in a specific timeframe or discuss the latest trends. Here is a list of topic ideas on this subject.

How did space-age discoveries affect rock music?
Discuss music marketing in the digital era.
Describe the features of Latin American pop music.
What makes K-Pop stand out?
The role of pop music for your generation.
Write about the origin of hip-hop.
Select a time period and write about its music trends.
Analyze the evolution of pop music starting from the 1950s.

Write about the occupational hazards of being a musician.
The origin and development of sunshine pop.
Choose a music album and analyze its impact.
Which pop music era seems the most interesting to you?
Pick a famous band and describe their career path.
Compare two different pieces of music from the 20th century.
What are the main features of rock music?
How do pop songs influence the teenage generation?
The role of radio broadcasting in the pop music industry.
Popular vs. serious music: a comparison.
Talk about a person who largely contributed to pop music.
What are the functions of film music?
Can popular songs influence public opinion on a specific subject?
Why do some people develop a very negative attitude towards pop music?
Describe the role of music in your life.
Do famous artists influence the lifestyle of their fans?
Discover why some entertainers remain famous even after their death.

📰 Mass Media Pop Culture Essay Topics

Popular culture exists and survives because of the mass media. With its help, it reaches and unites billions of people. Television, radio, and newspapers are the main outlets of mass media. Here is the list of media-related pop culture topics to write about.

Do magazines publish celebrity gossip too often?
Describe the way mass media dictates fashion standards to young adults.
Analyze the link between pop culture and mass media in the U.S.
Does mass media influence the preferences of the audience?
Describe how the media contributes to stereotypes about minorities.
Should newspapers expose sensitive details about celebrities’ lives?
How can one make sure not to consume fake news?
Analyze the peculiarities of New Journalism.
Discover the influence of the New York Times on the press.
Write about radio stations contributing to pop culture in the past.
Discuss racial stereotyping on television.
Talk about an influential online news resource.
Body as a subject in media and marketing.
What kind of pop culture topics are not broadcast via mass media?
Would you consider Twitter a mass media source?
Talk about the media and the global public sphere.
Write about promotional campaigns via mass media.
Is it possible for an artist to gain fame without the internet?
Which websites are known for spreading fake news ?
How to avoid information overload nowadays?
Conduct a semiotic analysis of a perfume commercial.
Can pop culture survive without American media?
Describe the American Idol phenomenon.
Talk about the internet’s effects on journalism.
Which influencers do you personally prefer and why?

📚 Modern Popular Literature Essay Topics

This section will be fun for book lovers! The term “popular literature” refers to writings intended for a broad audience. It’s no surprise that such books often become bestsellers. You can describe this type of writing as fiction with a strong plot. Look at this list of topic ideas for a great analytical, argumentative, or informative essay.

Describe the magic of Hogwarts in the Harry Potter books.
Discover the initial public opinion about The Handmaid’s Tale .
Why did The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo become a bestseller?
Principles used in Who Moved My Cheese? by Spencer Johnson.
Why did Enduring Love by Ian McEwan gain popularity?
What charmed the readers of The Miniaturist by Jessie Burton?
Discuss the theme of change in Disgrace by J. M. Coetzee.
Discover the way the sad ending in The Lucky One affected the readers.
Orange Is the New Black: Netflix series vs. book.
What made The Wednesday Letters different from other love novels?

How did The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins become iconic?
Describe the characters of Katherine Min’s Courting a Monk .
Discover the way Atonement by Ian McEwan impacted the readers.
What values are encouraged in Every Breath by Nicholas Sparks?
Discuss the initial public opinion about Life of Pi by Yann Martel .
Self-awareness in The Laramie Project by Moises Kaufman.
Analyze the success of The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie .
Discuss the literary issues of Jon Krakauer’s Into Thin Air.
How did the public accept the controversial message of The Da Vinci Code ?
Did Aziz Ansari’s reputation contribute to the fame of his book Modern Romance ?
What made The Chemist by Stephenie Meyer popular?
Analyze the fanbase of The Jane Austen Book Club by Karen Joy Fowler.
What draws the readers to Confessions of a Shopaholic ?
Explore confession and forgiveness in The Lovely Bones.
Why did The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield gain popularity?

📺 Pop Culture Topics: Movies and T.V.

Movies and T.V. shows are an integral part of U.S. culture. This category includes films based on popular literature and all-time-classic movies. T.V. production is often accompanied by a massive amount of merchandise that fills clothing and toy stores. The following list will help you select an on-point essay topic.

Write about the way the Star Wars saga unifies several generations.
The Wizard of Oz in relation to populist movement.
Analyze the impact of King Kong on cinema.
What makes New York City an iconic location for movies?
Describe the role of fandom in pop culture.
Is it better to watch a movie at home vs. in theater?
Why is Lord of the Rings considered one of the greatest trilogies?
Define the genre of Scarface.
How does Groundhog Day relate to Buddhism?
Did The X-Files inspire conspiracy theories?
Analyze the way Friends logo entered the clothing industry.
Write about the role of the media in Jerry Maguire.
Why did the movie Aliens become popular?
Discover the effects of Western movies on Arab youth.
What has brought Terminator into pop culture?
Write about the impact Rocky had on viewers.
Discuss what fans appreciate about The Matrix movies.
Racism and masculinity in A Soldier’s Story.
Write about a successful Marvel movie .
What makes D.C. movies iconic?
Describe the role of social workers in Crash.
Discuss the periods of The Simpsons ’ fame.
Analyze the way Parks and Recreation reflect the U.S. culture.
Talk about your favorite blockbuster.
Should government control the contents of T.V. shows?

🇺🇸 American Pop Culture Topics

The history of the United States was always reflected in various art forms. Today its pop culture highlights social identity and carries on the American heritage. In this section, you can explore the elements that contribute to American pop culture.

How did globalization impact American pop culture ?
Analyze the influence of the American movie industry on the world.
Write about Hispanic American culture.
Explore the place of alien encounters narrative within American culture.
Write about a specific period of American pop culture.
Examine the popularity of American movies overseas.
Write about the history and influence of Halloween.
Discover the economic value of the American entertainment industry.
Write about an aspect of the American pop culture you’re most proud of.

What would you like to change about the U.S. pop industry?
American folk culture vs. pop culture.
Which countries are not influenced by American culture at all?
Describe the role of T.V. broadcasting for the U.S.
Talk about American fast food as a part of pop culture.
Discover vacation destinations in and outside of the U.S.
Why is so much of today’s pop culture focused on the 80s?
How significant is Disney for Americans?
Discover the roots of U.S. pop culture.
How does the American pop industry portray sexuality?
Analyze the way pop culture unifies American citizens.
What are the destructive trends prevalent in the U.S.?
Discuss gender roles in American cartoons.
What does American pop teach about lifestyle?
How quickly do new fashion trends spread across the U.S.?
Discuss the way the U.S. pop culture reflects its historical values.

🌐 Popular Culture Essay Topics on Internet Phenomena

The internet is the ultimate means of communication worldwide. The rise of online trends is quite unpredictable, which is why it’s called internet phenomena. Memes, videos, challenges will be the focus of this section. Continue reading to find a fun essay topic!

What purpose was intended for the Ice bucket challenge ?
What made the dab famous worldwide?
Describe a dangerous internet phenomenon.
Why were teens attracted to the fire challenge?
Analyze the way Harlem Shake went viral.
What is people’s attitude towards social media?
How does something become an internet phenomenon?
Describe the influence of the Thriller dance on the world.
Debate the ethics of Coffin Dance.
What’s the reason for Gangnam Style’s fame?
How did the Momo challenge turn into a worldwide phenomenon?
Write about an internet phenomenon that emerged in 2020.
Talk about an online challenge you participated in.
What made Bongo Cat famous for many years?
Write about a politics-themed online phenomenon.
What distinguishes popular video games nowadays?
Analyze the role of TikTok in song advertisement.
Write about a comics book that gained popularity online.
Discover online challenges that emerged during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Describe the Bernie Sanders phenomenon among college students.
What internet phenomena are popular amongst the older generation?
Discuss the outcomes of a viral fundraising challenge.
Talk about one of the earliest internet phenomena.
How did the first memes appear on the internet?
Write about a web cartoon that qualifies as an internet phenomenon.

✍️ Pop Culture Analysis Topics to Write About

Pop culture includes many components you could write about. For an analytical paper, feel free to pick any aspect of pop culture. You can focus on positive, negative, or controversial factors. Make sure to use academic resources and professional critique. Here are some topic examples of your future paper.

How does pop culture impact public health?
Analyze Coca Cola marketing strategies from the sensory perspective.
Will the entertainment industry survive without encouraging predatory behavior?
What percentage of the U.S. population is currently involved with pop culture ?
Analyze a popular culture artifact of your choice.
What makes a pop song relatable?
Why is popular literature often made into films?
How does Instagram affect people’s lives?
Will your generation be drawn to pop culture decades from now?
How can one become famous in the age of informational overload?
Analyze the price one is paying for remaining popular.

Why do some classic paintings become a commodity?
Write about a person who significantly impacted T.V.
Pick a T.V. show and analyze its rise to popularity.
Discover how one becomes an influencer.
Do video games have any positive effects?
In what ways does politics influence pop culture?
How necessary is funding for the pop industry?
Why have memes become a popular form of communication?
What things should celebrities stop promoting?
Analyze YouTube’s contributions to pop culture.
Talk about the important messages in current pop music.
What catches the attention of modern consumers?
How did the 2020 pandemic influence pop culture?
What happens to famous artists who quit their career?

🤔 Popular Culture and Social Issues Essay Topics

Pop culture reveals social issues and creates new ones. In your paper, consider various aspects of society. Think about popular culture’s effect on different generations, languages, or values. The following list will help you select an interesting essay topic.

Describe ways in which pop culture divides social groups.
Do pop songs represent the voice of society?
What social issues does pop music contribute to?
Analyze the media’s influence on women’s self-image.
How does an expectation of the zombie apocalypse affect the Americans?
The impact of T.V. shows on self-realization amongst teenagers.
Does popular literature disconnect teenagers from society?
Why do people incorporate fictional characters in protest marches?
What do modern toys teach children about body image ?
Did pop culture contribute to social unrest in the U.S.?
Discover the way popular movies contribute to discrimination.
In what ways do memes influence public opinion?
Analyze the effects of mass media on one’s sexuality.
Examine the impact of YouTube on young adults’ career choices.
Does pop culture promote promiscuous behavior?
Describe the way modern movies stigmatize obesity.
What family values are projected in today’s mass media?
Explore the harming side of fandoms .
Does mainstream media sabotage social norms or encourage them?
Do pop songs encourage rebellious behavior amongst teens?
What kind of lesson does pop culture teach about gender?
Correlation between mobile games and the overuse of display devices.
Discover stereotypes that are prevalent in the pop industry nowadays.
Analyze the effect of television on bullying.
In what light does pop culture portray religion?

We hope you found this article helpful and choose an excellent topic for your assignment. Now go ahead and write an A+ essay on pop culture!

111 Popular Culture Essay Topic Ideas & Examples

Inside This Article

Popular culture is a fascinating and ever-evolving aspect of society that influences our thoughts, beliefs, and behaviors. From music and movies to fashion and social media, popular culture shapes our daily lives in countless ways. If you're looking for inspiration for your next essay on popular culture, we've got you covered with 111 topic ideas and examples to get you started.

The impact of social media influencers on consumer behavior
The evolution of hip hop music and its influence on society
The portrayal of mental health in popular culture
The rise of reality TV shows and their effects on viewers
The cultural significance of memes in the digital age
The representation of gender and sexuality in popular culture
The influence of celebrity endorsements on consumer choices
The role of fashion in popular culture and self-expression
The impact of streaming services on the music industry
The cultural appropriation of minority cultures in popular culture
The influence of video games on youth culture
The representation of race in Hollywood films
The phenomenon of binge-watching TV shows and its effects on mental health
The popularity of true crime documentaries and podcasts
The rise of K-pop and its global impact
The portrayal of LGBTQ+ characters in popular culture
The influence of technology on popular music production
The nostalgia trend in pop culture and its appeal to millennials
The role of fan communities in shaping popular culture
The impact of social media on celebrity culture
The representation of women in superhero movies
The influence of TikTok on music trends
The phenomenon of viral challenges on social media
The portrayal of mental illness in TV shows and movies
The popularity of superhero movies and their cultural significance
The evolution of online dating and its portrayal in popular culture
The cultural significance of tattoos in modern society
The impact of streaming platforms on the film industry
The representation of disability in popular culture
The influence of gaming culture on mainstream media
The rise of eco-friendly fashion in popular culture
The portrayal of drug use in popular music
The influence of celebrity fashion on trends
The cultural significance of sports in popular culture
The representation of body image in advertising
The impact of cancel culture on celebrities and public figures
The influence of political satire in comedy shows
The portrayal of mental health in music lyrics
The popularity of true crime podcasts and their appeal to audiences
The role of nostalgia in marketing and advertising
The representation of technology in science fiction movies
The influence of social media on beauty standards
The evolution of dance trends in popular culture
The cultural significance of food trends
The impact of social media on body image
The representation of race and ethnicity in TV commercials
The influence of celebrity endorsements on fashion trends
The role of fan fiction in popular culture
The portrayal of LGBTQ+ relationships in TV shows
The popularity of ASMR videos and their effects on viewers
The influence of Instagram on travel trends
The representation of women in advertising campaigns
The impact of streaming services on the film industry
The cultural significance of street art
The evolution of language in popular culture
The influence of reality TV shows on beauty standards
The portrayal of mental health in young adult literature
The popularity of conspiracy theories in popular culture
The role of nostalgia in music trends
The representation of gender in video games
The influence of social media on fashion trends
The cultural significance of emojis in communication
The impact of celebrity scandals on public perception
The portrayal of addiction in TV shows and movies
The influence of social media on body positivity movements
The phenomenon of influencer marketing in the beauty industry
The representation of race and ethnicity in fashion advertising
The popularity of true crime documentaries on streaming platforms
The evolution of internet slang and its impact on language
The influence of gaming culture on fashion trends
The cultural significance of street style photography
The portrayal of LGBTQ+ characters in young adult literature
The impact of social media on mental health awareness
The role of nostalgia in music festivals
The representation of disability in children's literature
The influence of celebrity chefs on food trends
The popularity of DIY culture in the digital age
The evolution of online dating apps and their impact on relationships
The cultural significance of drag culture
The portrayal of race and ethnicity in social media influencers
The influence of social media on travel destinations
The phenomenon of viral challenges on YouTube
The representation of mental health in comic books
The impact of streaming services on the TV industry
The role of fan art in popular culture
The influence of celebrity fashion on street style
The cultural significance of dance trends
The evolution of slang in rap music
The popularity of wellness trends in popular culture
The portrayal of LGBTQ+ relationships in romantic comedies
The representation of race and ethnicity in beauty advertising
The impact of celebrity endorsements on skincare trends
The role of fan fiction in shaping TV show narratives
The cultural significance of streetwear fashion
The evolution of language in pop music lyrics
The influence of social media on body image
The phenomenon of influencer marketing in the fitness industry
The representation of mental health in young adult novels
The popularity of true crime podcasts and their appeal to listeners

These are just a few examples of the many ways popular culture influences our lives and shapes our society. Whether you're interested in exploring the impact of social media on beauty standards or the representation of race in Hollywood films, there's no shortage of topics to explore in the world of popular culture. So pick a topic that interests you, do some research, and start writing your next essay on popular culture today!

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100+ Pop Culture Essay Topics

Table of Contents

Pop Culture Essay Topics: Dive into the Pulse of Modern Society

Pop Culture, short for ‘popular culture’, is a fascinating area of study that delves into the various elements of entertainment, fashion, news, and daily living that are prevalent in a society at a given point in time. The culture we consume, whether it’s the music we listen to, the shows we binge-watch, or the trends we follow, gives insights into our values, our beliefs, and our aspirations. Writing a Pop Culture essay offers a unique opportunity to explore these topics in-depth, offering both a critique and appreciation for the world we live in.

What is a Pop Culture Essay?

A Pop Culture essay is an academic or personal narrative that explores the influence and significance of current trends, events, idols, or practices that are widely accepted and followed by a large group of people. It is a reflection of how society perceives and interacts with these elements, and how they in turn shape societal norms and behaviors. From movies to memes, and from fashion fads to viral challenges, Pop Culture essays can dissect any of these aspects to shed light on its larger implications.

Guide to Choosing a Pop Culture Essay Topic

Selecting the perfect topic for a Pop Culture essay starts with personal interest. Think about what you love, what intrigues you, or what you often discuss with friends:

Stay Current: Trends change quickly. Your topic should be relevant to the current cultural climate.
Be Passionate: Choose a topic that excites you. Your enthusiasm will come through in your writing.
Research: Make sure there’s enough information available to support your argument or perspective.
Broaden or Narrow Down: Depending on the assignment’s length, ensure your topic is neither too broad nor too narrow.

Riveting Pop Culture Essay Topics Lists

Television and movies.

The cultural significance of binge-watching
The rise and impact of superhero movies
Representation and diversity in modern television

Music and Artists

The influence of K-pop on global music trends
Evolution of music festivals and their societal impact
The role of music in social activism

Fashion and Trends

Sneaker culture and its rise to prominence
The lasting impact of fast fashion on the environment
The evolution of beauty standards through the decades

Digital Age and Social Media

Memes: A reflection of society or mere entertainment?
The psychology behind viral challenges
Social media influencers: A new age of celebrity

Literature and Books

The young adult genre: A reflection of modern teen struggles
The re-emergence of poetry in the digital age
Post-apocalyptic novels and society’s fascination with the end of the world

Sports and Games

The cultural implications of e-sports
Sports activism and its role in societal change
The rise of niche sports in mainstream media

Art and Performance

The rebirth of street art and its societal messages
The evolution of performance art in the 21st century
Drag culture: From niche to mainstream

Food and Lifestyle

The vegan movement and its cultural implications
Coffee culture and its global significance
Travel trends: From luxury vacations to eco-tourism

Global Events and Movements

Pop culture’s role in promoting environmental awareness
The significance of global award ceremonies like the Oscars and Grammys
Celebrity involvement in political and social movements

Streaming and Digital Content

The impact of streaming platforms on traditional TV
Podcasts: The new radio or a unique medium?
Binge-watching culture and its psychological effects

Diverse Representation

The significance of minority representation in Hollywood
LGBTQ+ representation in modern television shows
The rise of international cinema in global box offices

Modern Technology and Its Influence

The cultural shift from Facebook to TikTok
Virtual reality: The future of entertainment?
The societal implications of AI-generated art and music

Evolving Music Genres

The impact of hip-hop on social justice movements
The re-emergence of vinyl and analog music
The cultural resonance of indie music in the digital age

Politics in Pop Culture

The portrayal of politicians in movies and TV series
The role of celebrities in political campaigns
Satire and political commentary in late-night shows

Evolving Beauty and Fashion Standards

The rise of the body positivity movement
Influences of global fashion trends on local cultures
The impact of digital filters on beauty standards

Gaming Culture

The social dynamics of online multiplayer games
The cultural impact of mobile gaming
Video games as a form of interactive storytelling

Contemporary Literature and Reading Habits

Digital vs. traditional reading: Changing habits and implications
The allure of dystopian novels in today’s society
The growth of self-publishing in the literary world

Youth and Adolescence in Pop Culture

The portrayal of teenagers in contemporary movies
The cultural significance of coming-of-age stories
Gen Z’s influence on pop culture trends

The World of Sports and Athletics

The impact of sports documentaries on fans’ perceptions
The societal implications of athletes taking political stances
The commercialization of amateur sports

Online Communities and Subcultures

The growth and influence of fandoms in shaping media content
The role of Reddit in shaping pop culture discussions
Exploring the “Stan” culture and its origins

Pop Culture and Mental Health

Addressing mental health through TV shows and movies
The role of music in therapy and mental well-being
Social media’s impact on self-esteem and body image

Historical Reflections in Pop Culture

The revival of the ’80s and ’90s trends in fashion and music
Period dramas and their influence on modern perceptions of history
The nostalgia factor: Reboots and remakes in the film industry

Contemporary Art and Design

Streetwear and its roots in urban culture
The influence of social media on modern art consumption
Pop art in the 21st century: Evolution or revolution?

Societal Movements and Pop Culture

The #MeToo movement’s reflection in films and TV shows
Pop culture’s role in the climate change discussion
The cultural implications of the Black Lives Matter movement

Digital Phenomena and Trends

The rise of short video platforms and their influence on attention spans
The allure of unboxing videos and consumer culture
The significance of virtual influencers in advertising and media

Celebrity Culture and Influence

The phenomenon of cancel culture in the digital age
Celebrities’ role in mental health advocacy
How influencers are redefining the meaning of celebrity

Music and Its Changing Dynamics

The resurgence of folk music in mainstream culture
The blurring lines between genres in modern music
The cultural impact of music festivals in the virtual era

Modern Interpretations of Classic Tales

The allure of dark retellings of fairy tales in media
The influence of Greek mythology in today’s pop culture
Contemporary adaptations of Shakespearean plays

Fashion, Sustainability, and Trends

The cultural implications of thrift shopping and upcycling
The influence of Korean fashion on global style trends
The growth and significance of sustainable fashion

Emerging Technologies and Entertainment

The role of augmented reality in art and exhibitions
The emergence of hologram concerts and performances
The influence of cryptocurrency and NFTs in the entertainment industry

Social Issues and Popular Narratives

The portrayal of immigration and cultural identity in movies
The influence of women empowerment anthems in pop music
Pop culture’s response to global crises like pandemics and natural disasters

Internet Cultures and Fandoms

The evolution and impact of fanfiction in literature
The role of internet memes in political and social commentary
The cultural significance of niche internet communities

Need Help Crafting Your Pop Culture Essay?

Crafting an essay on Pop Culture requires a keen eye for detail and a finger on the pulse of current trends. If you need assistance, our essay writing service at writeondeadline.com is here to help! Our experienced writers can bring depth, insight, and flair to your essay, ensuring it stands out.

Useful References

Pop Culture: An Overview – Philosophy Now
Understanding Popular Culture – John Fiske, Routledge
Pop Culture and the Power of Media – International Journal of Communication

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60 Popular Culture Research Paper Topics You Can Use To Make an Excellent Paperwork

Pop culture influences many aspects of modern life. Economics, politics, and even religion are intertwined in one symbiosis when it comes to pop culture. That is why this topic is relevant for students who are going to write a cultural essay. Popular culture essay topics offer a wide range of research themes. Many interesting options for inspiration can be disclosed by providing arguments and discussions with different views on the problem. Such popular culture essay topics are very actual these days.

All teachers have standard criteria for preparing such essays. First of all, your work must meet certain standards and criteria of the educational institution. It concerns the general structure, format, font, and paragraphs. Your essay should have a relevant topic that you must fully disclose and give arguments for each statement. Students must use many sources and confirm information with detailed facts and statistical data.

It adds value to your work and allows you to reveal the essence of the topic you have chosen fully. It is very important to adhere to the structure and the given theme. If you are writing about the influence of pop music on children's intelligence, then you should research this issue and give examples of how a child's brain develops when listening to certain music. All such popular culture topics are needed to rethink contemporary culture.

You can also refer to certain scientific studies and leave links to the best examples that support your point. It's worth noting that this is not a motivational essay where you can write whatever you want. This kind of work should be relevant to the given topic and have convincing arguments.

Pop Culture Argumentative Essay Topics

This topic is interesting because it reveals a specific problem and argues your point of view on this matter. Choose pop culture research paper topics carefully. Many teachers encourage students to choose this essay format because it allows them to show the author's extraordinary qualities. Most of these pop culture topics can become part of large-scale scientific work.

Disney princesses and their impact on young girls.
Popular culture as a part of common mythology.
Modern technologies as a part of innovations in pop culture.
Erotic overtones in modern pop culture.
The influence of pop culture on the worldview of adolescents.
Pop culture as the tuning fork of romantic relationships.
Why is pop culture so relevant these days?
Formation of moral values through the prism of pop culture.
The influence of pop musicians on teen behavior.

Pop Culture and Science Essay Topics

Due to the symbiosis of pop culture and science, such essays are especially interesting for teachers. Students can show analytical skills and create truly expert material by studying the topic. By choosing such a popular culture research paper topic, you can expand your horizons.

Principles of materialism and vitalism in the films of Dr. Frankenstein.
Are experiments from old films realistic?
Modern medical TV shows in the context of neurobiology.
Analysis of "Gattaca" and the novel "Brave New World" in the context of gene editing.
Features of cloning and restoration of extinct species on the example of science fiction films.
An example of the biotechnology risks on the example of Hollywood blockbusters.
The value of pop-culture objects in the context of scientific research.
Interpreting the future from a pop culture perspective.

Pop Culture Topics: Social Issues

Social issues are a special topic for the entire modern society. Given the context of pop culture, it can be interesting to create an essay. By choosing topics of the cultured conversation, you get the opportunity to answer the most pressing questions of society.

Hip hop music: Has this improved or strained race relation?
Gender fluidity and LGBTQ movement in modern pop culture.
Pop culture and its methods of informing people about class problems in society.
Do television and pop culture influence children's perception of the world?
Pop culture analysis in the context of fast food advertising and impact on teens.
The influence of pop performers on the emotional and mental state of adolescents.
Analysis of the modern pop industry as propaganda of false values.
Can you replace classical music with pop hits?

Pop Culture Topics: Idols and Heroes

Almost everyone has watched superhero movies, read comics, or had a favorite childhood character. This is a great option for writing about similar characters and interpreting them in real life. These cultural research paper topics are very popular with many students.

Madonna's influence on the image of women in pop music.
Why is Bob Dylan considered an icon of his time?
Influence of superheroes on children's perception of the world.
How did Marilyn Monroe change the approach to women's fashion?
Michael Jackson's legacy and influence on the genre of music.
Reasons for the popularity of K-pop idols and psychophysical addiction.
Analysis of the spontaneous popularity of the rapper PSY and its tracks.
The influence of 90s rockers on modern youth.
Analysis of culture based on social tendencies towards self-development.

Extraordinary Pop Culture Essay Topic Ideas

When you take an extraordinary essay topic, it gives you some space to be creative. Many teachers encourage students to show their intellectual potential and choose original topics for research. Any pop culture essay topic has a rather deep connotation.

Manga as a vein of social mood.
The influence of pop culture on the self-identification of sexual minorities.
Pop art and its basic principles today.
How do ethnic issues form in pop culture?
An example of historical figures that are significant in pop culture.
Impact of pop music on global economic trends.
Pop culture's twisted representation of justice.
The hibernation of children's qualities in modern pop culture.
Is there a place for ethnic music in the pop scene?
The influence of music on the formation of modern trends in political development.

Pop Culture Controversial Topics

A controversial topic is an opportunity to prove your point of view to the teacher. If you want to argue for certain views on life and pop culture in general, this is a good option to demonstrate your position. This list of popular culture topics are the most relevant. Many teachers appreciate students who are willing to prove their point of view with real facts. Choosing a controversial pop culture topic will definitely get your instructor's approval.

Contemporary pop culture in modern society.
The phenomenon of pop culture and a person's attitude to it throughout life.
Revealing ethnic issues through the prism of cinema.
Modern correctional system in the context of popular music.
The popularity of the yakuza and the representation of the group in modern pop culture.
Has Metallica changed the image of rock performers in society?
Globalization in the 21st century. Its impact on cultural trends.
How did Black Sabbath arrange the cultural revolution?

Pop Culture Debate Topic

The debate is an integral part of a democratic society. This format of interaction with students is very popular in many colleges and other educational institutions. That is why you can take an actual topic that is open to discussion and new arguments. The importance of any cultural analysis topic can hardly be overestimated.

Pop music as a cultural artifact.
Miller's lower-class focal concerns theory and its implementation.
Why do pop culture and rap romanticize crime?
How intercultural experiences affect the nation.
Does Del Monte food affect pop culture?
Pre-Columbian American peoples in modern pop culture.
Thornberry's theory of interaction in a pop-culture context.
How the nature of social mobility has changed pop trends.

How to Write a Research Paper on Cultural Topics?

The essay preparation process should be structured by the rules of the educational institution. First of all, such paperwork should answer three questions:

You must clearly understand how to cover the topic and convey the basic information to the reader. This is very important if you want to argue each step and provide evidence that you are right. The second point is how you will respond to counter arguments and convince the reader that you are right. Your reasoning should be based not only on personal preferences and views but also on general trends and well-established rules. Pop culture debate topics can help build a lot of leadership skills.

Your reader should also understand why you are covering this topic and why you want to explain its importance in society. Such essays are crucial because they reveal the general essence of the problem of social culture and pop culture as such. It is worth noting that not all students can fully disclose such a topic, so it is worthwhile to learn in more detail how to write such essays, at least.

If you are still not ready to approach this task on your own, you can contact us for help. Our experts specialize in high school essays like these and are ready to help you create an original paper based on your instructor's requirements. The main task of the student is to select the correct pop culture research topic. Thanks to our contributors, you will be able to get highly appreciated paperwork that will allow you to get recognition among other students.

An Inspiration Sources List:

Popculture.com
Complex.com
Trendhunter
Pop Culture Happy Hour

Pop Culture Essay Topics: Find Out the Pulse of Modern Society

Pop culture is an influential and ubiquitous force that permeates the daily lives of millions worldwide. Movies, series, music, games, and other forms of entertainment play an important role in our lives, shaping our experiences, influencing our opinions, and building social connections. Given this, discussing popular culture has become an increasingly essential practice.

Popular culture reflects and criticizes contemporary social, political, and cultural issues through artistic expression. When writing about topics related to culture, there are important things like the representation of minorities, feminism, changing aesthetic standards, or the entertainment industry.

Additionally, discussing popular culture allows individuals to express their creativity and personal opinions. Popular culture evokes intense passions and emotions, creating a space for students to explore their perspectives and interpretations. This personal expression is very important for developing critical thinking and analytical skills and encouraging self-discovery. That is why an essay about pop culture should be developed by all students at least once.

Therefore, engaging in pop culture essays is more than a relevant practice. This practice becomes increasingly important as we recognize the impact of popular culture on our lives and its ability to shape our worldview. See some of the important topics that can be addressed in this subject and the suggestion of exciting topics to develop an essay.

American Pop Culture Topics

American pop culture essay topics are a fascinating phenomenon that affects not just the United States but the entire world. This includes a wide range of elements such as music, film, television, sports, and even iconic brands and products.

Examining issues related to American popular culture allows us to analyze its social impact, evolution over time, and relevance to contemporary issues. Here are five topics for essays on American popular culture issues:

The Social Media Phenomenon and Its Impact on American Popular Culture
The Role of American Reality Television Shows in Constructing the American Identity
The Expression of Diversity and Religion Clash in American Culture
The Influence of Popular Culture on Political Opinion Formation
The Role of Celebrities Influence and Historical Personalities in American Popular Culture

Sports in Pop Culture: Essay Ideas for the Ultimate Fanatic

Sports in pop culture topics have helped unite fans worldwide and create communities of passionate enthusiasts. The relationship between sports and pop culture is complex, ranging from sports idols and historical events to the influence of sports on film, music, and fashion.

Examining sport-related issues in popular culture allows us to analyze the social impact of sports, sports stories that engage audiences, and the intersection of sports and entertainment. Here are five essay topics on the topic of sports:

Sport as a Form of Cultural Identity
The Role of Sport in Breaking Down Social Barriers
Culture of Supporters and Sports Fans
Sports and Sports Stories in the Pop Media
The Impact of Sport on Celebrity Fashion and Culture

Film-themed Popular Culture Essay Topics

Cinematic popular culture is a global phenomenon that fascinates audiences, and pop culture influences many aspects of society. Movies are not just entertaining. They also reflect and shape our culture, values, and worldview.

Exploring the pop culture issues that essay films address allows us to understand the impact of cinema, the trends and influences it creates, and the messages and expressions it conveys over time. Here are five writing topics in “Film-themed Pop Culture Essay.”

Film Action Hero Development in the Mass Media
Representation of Minorities in Cinema and Mass media
The Role of Cinema in Disseminating Ideas and Values
The Impact of Remakes and Reboots on Popular Culture
The Power of Independent Films in Pop Culture

Essay Topics on Style and Pop Culture

The fashion industry and pop culture are inextricably linked, influencing and being influenced by each other. Fashion is how people express their identity and personality, while popular culture reflects and shapes the trends and styles of the time.

Delve into style and pop culture topics to analyze the evolution of fashion, the influence of celebrities and social media, and the intersection of fashion and social issues. The five writing topics under “Style and Pop Culture” are:

The Role of Social Media in Influencing Fashion
Fashion as a Form of Female Empowerment
The Impact of Hip-Hop Music Culture on Fashion
The Relationship Between Sustainable Fashion and Popular Culture
Fashion as a Form of Resistance and Cultural Expression

Social Media’s Influence on Pop Culture

The impact of social media on pop culture today is undeniable. Platforms like Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and TikTok have changed how we consume entertainment, discover new trends and connect with others.

Investigating questions about the impact of social media and mass media on pop culture allows you to analyze the effects on celebrities, the entertainment industry, the dissemination of trends, and engagement with the general public. Here are five essay topics on “Social Media’s Influence on Pop Culture.”

The Role of Digital Influencers in Pop Culture
The Transformation of Celebrity in the Age of Social Media
The Diffusion of Trends and Challenges in Popular Culture
The Democratization of Entertainment Through Social Networks
The Impact of Social Media on the Entertainment Industry

Essay Topics on Evolving Pop Culture Trends

Pop culture trends constantly evolve to reflect the social, technological, and cultural changes around us. These trends influence how we express ourselves, dress, consume media, mass media, and interact with each other.

By examining issues related to ever-evolving trends in popular culture, we learn how these changes impact our society and social media’s role in spreading trends. You can analyze the influence of cultures and artistic movements. Here are five essay topics on evolving trends in popular culture.

Subculture’s Influence on Pop Culture Everyday Life
The Impact of Social Networks on the Dissemination of Trends
The Evolution of Fashion and Celebrity Gossip in Pop Culture
The Expression of Diversity and Cultural Appropriation in Pop Culture
The Power of Streaming Media in International Relations.

Pop Culture Paper Topics in the Digital Age

Pop culture has undergone significant changes in the digital age due to technology and global connectivity. Modern technologies, social media, music, video streaming, video games, and content-sharing platforms have played an important role in spreading and developing popular culture.

Investigating issues surrounding pop culture in the digital age explores issues related to the impact of technology on entertainment, changes in the way popular culture is consumed and participated in, and the analysis of privacy and authenticity.

Here are five writing topics on “Pop Culture in the Digital Age”:

Impact of Social Media and Pop Culture Objects on Fandom
The Era of Binge-Watching and the Popular Culture Influence
The Relation Between Folk Culture and Popular Video Games
Privacy and Trust in the Digital Age for Young People in the Mass Media
The Role of Content-Sharing Platforms in the Democratization of Popular Culture

Music and Pop Culture

Popular music is an integral part of popular culture, influencing and being influenced by many aspects of society. It reflects the values, trends, and artistic movements of the time and plays an important role in constructing individual and collective identities.

Investigating issues related to pop music trends and pop culture makes it possible to analyze the influence of popular music on fashion, cinema, politics, and social change. Here are five essay topics about pop music and pop culture.

The Influence of Music Affect on Pop and Folk Culture
Music and Pop Culture Promote as a Form of Social and Political Activity
Pop Music Industry and the Rise of Latin American Pop Music
Music Shape as an Expression of Identity and Subcultures in Young People
Impact of Sunshine Pop Music Era on the Entertainment Industry and Consumer Behavior

Controversial Pop Culture Topics

Pop culture often provokes debate and controversy because it deals with sensitive and potentially divisive issues. These controversial issues range from the representation of specific groups in the media to the impact of popular culture on society and traditional values.

Addressing these questions in a culture research paper topic allows you to explore different perspectives, contrast ideas, and encourage constructive discussion. Here are five writing popular culture topics for “Controversial Issues in Pop Culture.”

Representation of Minorities in the Media – A Vital Pop Culture Change
Political Apathy and Celebrity Pop Culture Reflect These Two Entities
Sexuality and Eroticization in Pop Culture – Positive or Negative Impact
Censorship and Culture Influence Consumer Behavior
Capitalism and Commercialization of Pop Culture Influence and Celebrity Worship

Comic Books in Pop Culture

Comics have played an important role in pop culture and captivated fans of all ages around the world. They are a visually powerful medium for storytelling with iconic characters and compelling narratives.

Examining the issue of cartoons in popular culture allows us to analyze the impact of modern cartoons on film, literature, representation of minorities, and social discourse. Here are five essays on popular culture topics: “comic books in popular culture.”

Impact of Comic Book Adaptations in Soap Operas
The Development of Comics as an Art Form
Representation of Minorities Romantic Relationships in Comics
Comics and Modern Bestsellers as Educational Tools
Independent Comics and Their Impact on the Teenage Generation

Pop Culture Research Topics for High School

Considering pop culture topics in high school is a great way to engage students in relevant discussions and spark an interest in contemporary culture. These topics range from analyzing cultural trends and influence to examining how popular culture reflects and shapes society.

Exploring these topics in essays helps students develop research, critical thinking, and persuasive writing skills. The five writing topics for Pop Culture Research for High School are:

The Role of Pop Culture in the Formation of Adolescent and Young Adults’ Identity
The Impact of Popular Culture on Education
Representation of Minorities in Modern Popular Culture in the School Environment
Use of Social Networks in Schools to Access Modern Pop Culture
Pop Culture and the Fight for Gender Equality

Pop Culture and Science

The interface between pop culture and science is an exciting and ever-evolving field. As science advances, it finds its way into popular culture essays through movies, television shows, literature, and other forms of entertainment.

Likewise, pop culture often inspires science, with discoveries and innovations inspired by fictional ideas. Exploring the relationship between popular culture and science allows writers to analyze how these two fields interact and reflect the values and aspirations of today’s society.

Here are five essays on the topic of “pop culture and science”:

Influence of Pop Culture on Scientific Research Papers
Dissemination of Science Through Pop Culture
How Pop Culture Mediums Tackle Complex Ethical Questions Surrounding Scientific Advancements
Influence of Science Fiction on the Scientific Imagination
Important Representations of Science in Pop Culture and Online Learning

Sexism and Feminism in Pop Culture

The presence of sexism in pop culture and the struggle for feminism are relevant and complex issues that provoke heated debates. Popular culture often reflects and reinforces gender stereotypes, but it can also be a space that challenges these norms and promotes gender equality.

Investigating issues of sexism and feminism in popular newsroom culture allows us to analyze the portrayal of female characters, the objectification of women’s bodies, the media’s influence on the construction of gender identities, and much more.

Here are five essay topics on “Sexism and Feminism in Pop Culture” with feminist values represented.

Evolution of Female Representation and Feminist Values in Popular Culture Essay
The Objectification of the Female Body in the Celebrity Culture
The Influence of Pop Culture on the Construction of Gender Identity for Young Girls
The Role of Feminism in Pop Art Culture and Modern Society
Analyzing the Portrayal of Women in Video Games

In summary, the good pop culture topics covered above are a few suggestions for starting pop culture argumentative essay that include a variety of related topics. Discussing these popular culture essay writing is very important, as it brings many benefits to the training of students pop culture influenced.

Appreciation of pop culture stems from its powerful influence on our daily lives. Exploring his artistic expression allows him to understand and reflect on current social, political, and cultural issues. This comprehensive understanding will enable you to develop critical thinking skills and gain a broader view of the world through popular culture essay.

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163 Popular Culture Topics and Questions for Essays & Research Papers

Are you looking for popular culture essay topics? You’re at the right place! StudyCorgi has compiled a list of popular culture topics for you to debate in argumentative papers or use for essays, projects, and other assignments. Feel free to use these pop culture research topics for your inspiration!

👨‍🎤 TOP 7 Popular Culture Research Paper Topics

🏆 best pop culture topics to write about, 🌶️ hot popular culture ideas to write about, 🎓 most interesting pop culture essay topics, 💡 simple pop culture research topics, ❓ pop culture research questions, 🗣️ pop culture persuasive speech topics, 💃 pop culture criticism topics, 🌺 more popular culture topics.

Why Are Fantasy Films so Popular?
Functionalism and Other Theories of Popular Culture
Exploring Popular Culture in Architecture
Michael Jackson’s Influence on Pop Culture
The Influence of Popular Culture on Society
“Cultural Theory and Popular Culture” by John Storey
The Impact of Popular Culture on Body Image
Popular Culture’s and Fashion Industry’s Influences The popular culture influences particularly the youth. This paper creates awareness for the audience concerning the effects of the manufacturers’ advertisements.
Popular Culture via the Lens of Marxism, Postmodernism, and Psychoanalysis The purpose of this paper is to describe a popular culture through the lens of Marxism, Postmodernism, and Psychoanalysis.
The Impact of Technology on American Popular Culture in the 20th Century The work aims to examine how the development of technology influenced the popular culture of America in the twentieth century.
The Influence of Popular Culture on Society’s Perception of Wealth as Life’s Priority The modern world has long entered the era of technological advancement that broadened the scope of popular culture manifestations.
How Popular Culture Influences Morality in Society The article titled “Readers on Morality: Don’s Let TV Be Guide,” reveals much insight regarding what most content consumers feel about popular TV shows.
The Impact of Popular Culture on Body Image in Women This paper is about how the media and film industry promotes unhealthy body image toward women and how it affects women consumers.
Popular Culture in “Inglourious Basterds” Film One of the most well-known and controversial movies about World War II, “Inglourious Basterds” by Quentin Tarantino, is densely packed with references to popular culture.
Interconnection in Popular Culture With globalization and commercialization of culture, every aspect of culture seems to be merged into one single realm.
Popular Culture and the Cold War Popular culture was strongly restricted. The Cold War had an immense influence on the lives of people since they were afraid to be considered communists.
Pop Culture in America Pop culture is a multidimensional concept acting in many interpretations as the opposite of elitist types of cultures and is often replaced by the term mass culture.
How Popular Culture Can Promote the Idea of Sexual Assault in Society Popular culture, including articles, songs, videos, and other materials from influencers in social media and life, can promote the idea of sexual assault in society.
Cars in Popular Culture and Mass Media The entirety of ideas, fancy images, attitudes, and perspectives within the cultural mainstream define what is known as popular (or pop) culture.
Pop Culture in Movies: How Far Can It Get? Pop culture is music, films, products etc. in a particular society that are familiar to and popular with most ordinary people in that society.
Doctor Faustus in Popular Culture This paper examines the image of Doctor Faustus in popular culture, using the examples of the works by Christopher Marlowe and George Lucas.
“TV, Ideology, and Emancipatory Popular Culture”: General Idea and Sub-Points The author sees mass media as a powerful tool of influence on the public as well as a great sphere for the social struggle against social unfairness.
Michael Jackson: Essay on His Influence on Music & Pop Culture Jackson has received a place in pop history as a pioneer and legend, which is why he will always be remembered as the King of Pop.
Gendered Details and Variations Between Popular Culture
Method Acting and 1950’s Popular Culture
Differences Between Popular Culture and Indigenous Culture
Baseball and American Popular Culture
How Does Popular Culture Mirror America Life?
Media and Popular Culture During World War I
Popular Culture and Border Musical Audience
American Popular Culture Definition
Popular Culture Affect Gender and Sexuality
American Music and Popular Culture
Advertising and Senior Citizen Treatment by Popular Culture
Popular Culture and Consumerism
European Witchcraft and Popular Culture
Christianity and Popular Culture
Did the Popular Culture of 1960 Do More Harm Than Good?
Popular Culture and the Influence of TV News
Shakespeare and Modern Popular Culture
Contrasting and Comparing Mass Society With Popular Culture Media
How Does Popular Culture Stereotype Latinos?
Bureaucratization and Popular Culture
Asian Americans and Popular Culture
American Popular Culture and Advertisement
American Popular Culture and Gender Roles
Immigration and Popular Culture
Korean Popular Culture and Its Influence in India
Society’s Changing Views Reflected on Popular Culture
Popular Culture American Family in Television Entertainment
Moscow’s 1980 Olympic Games and Russia’s Popular Culture
American Influence on Popular Culture in Australia
Japanese Popular Culture and Traditional Culture
Einstein’s Impact on Science, Pop Culture, and Diversity Albert Einstein was chosen because he is one of the most recognized figures in science and pop culture and his name is well-known to people and children.
Worldly Writing on Music: K-Pop Culture Music is an essential component in the socio-cultural mainframe of any community due to the trickle-down effect of influencing emotional connectivity despite diversity.
Pop Culture and Serial Killer in Darkly Dreaming Dexter The essay compares and contrasts how the literary study could explore “Darkly Dreaming Dexter” differently than a film analysis could of the TV series.
Pokémon Go Pop Culture Analysis Pokémon Go became one of the most popular games in the world right after its release in 2016. For a short time, the game became part of pop culture.
The Link Between Pop Culture and Stereotypes The majority of movies in the military and action genre involved Russians as primary antagonists. Such films used the stereotypical version of Russians.
Pop Culture: Developments, Recycling and Revitalizing Pop can be defined as the usual way of life of Americans. It refers to the popular culture that at least all Americans agree to.
Resistance in Popular Culture In the 1970s, with the development of equal rights movement, popular music was enriched by a number of songs, which sought to de-construct androcentrism.
Popular Culture: Introductory Perspectives Population culture includes all the aspects of life that we live by. Popular culture helps businesses to grow because they have to get what is trendy at to meet the people’s needs.
Aspects of the American Pop Culture The paper states that the American film industry is one of the main components of the nation’s popular culture. It highlights the domains in the US.
Pop Culture in “The Godfather” by Coppola The Godfather film is a part of the pop culture because it is regularly cited as an inspiration by many filmmakers.
Anime in Pop Culture: Art Review Anime as a form of art presented a new storytelling method. The link between cinema and anime is evident in the technology and storylines used.
“The Star Trek” Film and Popular Culture This paper analyzes the book Star Trek and Popular Culture and analyzes the issues addressed such as Trump’s politics, civil rights, war, and gender inequality.
Popular Culture and Musical Success This project aims to establish the link between popular culture and marketing and promotion of an indie record label, Elusive Records.
The Impact of Popular Culture on Racial Perceptions Dehumanization through the use of racial stereotypes in popular culture extends as far as labeling minorities “exotic.”
Popular Culture: Artifacts, Icons and Myths Popular culture helps businesses to grow because they have to get what is trendy at any particular time in order to meet the people’s needs.
Gender Representation in American Pop Culture The excerpt of the book “The Pop Culture Freaks” focuses on the representation of gender in American pop culture that is a powerful tool capable of impacting social tendencies.
Pop Culture as a Potent Globalization Tool Pop culture popularizes different ideas and makes them familiar to people from various countries, which helps to minimize the number of misunderstandings.
Hip-Hop Influence on American Popular Culture The sphere of the hip-hop influence on American popular culture is constantly extending, involving new forces and new interpretations.
Dickson’s “I’m Nobody! Who Are You?” & Pop Culture Emily Dickson vividly portrays that modern society is influenced by mass culture and customization which leads to the selfless and nameless society.
Popular Culture: Native American Communities BBC and Reuters, the Times, and the Look portray that low-class location prevents many Native Americans to obtain social respect and opportunities available for the white majority.
American Popular Culture and Globalization Effects The ubiquity of wealth-concentrated American popular culture in the lives of modern people threatens the generally accepted system of values and causes adverse shifts in it.
Pop Culture, Entertainment and Media Representation This paper reviews three articles: Medhurst’s “Batman, Deviance, and Camp,” McBride and Bird’s “From Smart Fan to Backyard Wrestler,” and Kidd’s “Methodology Moment.”
Rhetoric in “Pop Can: Popular Culture in Canada” The way words are presented has a huge influence on the manner readers will get the intended message while interpreting aspects such as logic, emotions, etc.
Female Pop-Culture in “Where the Girls Are” by Douglas In “Where the Girls Are”, Susan J. Douglas analyzes the state of the media in the 1960-1970s. She describes and explains the female pop-culture images of the time.
The American Popular Culture in New York City
Modern Popular Culture: Katabasis
Latin American Popular Culture’s Transformed
The Erudite and Popular Culture and Music
New Femininities, Gender Constructs, and Popular Culture
Heroes Throughout History and Popular Culture
Asia and American Popular Culture
Subcultures: Popular Culture and Cultural Capital
Popular Culture, Gender Constructs, and “New Femininities”
Heterosexuality and Gender Ideals in Contemporary Popular Culture
Has Popular Culture Turned Marriage Into a Joke
Market Imperative and Popular Culture
Communism and Popular Culture
Vampire Genre Storms Popular Culture
Transcendentalism Through Popular Culture Project
Politics and Popular Culture During the 1960s
The Air Jordan Brand as Popular Culture Object
Popular Culture and Media Portrayals of Child Abuse
Japanese Popular Culture and Eastern Media Societies
Popular Culture and Feature Films
Popular Culture and Music Affect U.S. Public Opinion On
Critical Thought and Popular Culture
Australian Popular Culture Influenced by the United States
Popular Culture: Historical Icons and American Culture
Mass Media, Popular Culture and the American Dream
Indian Cinema and Popular Culture
Folk Culture and Popular Culture
American Popular Culture: Trends and How They Affect Personal Decisions
Gender Roles and American Popular Culture
Does Popular Culture Teach Immoral Values?
How Did “Frankenstein” Become an Essential Part of Pop Culture?
How Does the Line Between High and Popular Culture Become Blurred?
How the Popular Culture in the United States Depicted the 9/11 Attack?
Why “The Beatles” Revolutionized Music and Popular Culture?
Why Video Games Have Made a Shift Into Mainstream Popular Culture?
What Area the Differences Between Pop Culture and Reality?
What Are the Effects of the Simpsons Television Show on Pop Culture?
Will Western Popular Culture Destroy National Culture in Thailand and Malaysia?
Does “Romeo and Juliet” Deserve to Be Considered Pop Culture in the Elizabethan Era?
How Pop Culture and Mass Media Affects Each and Every One of Us?
How the Popular Culture and Politics of the 1970s Shaped American History?
What Negative Effects Popular Culture Has on Adolescent Women?
What Does Pop Culture War Mean and What’s Its Influence on Modern Society?
What Is the Change Into Popular Culture Through Media and Other Forms?
Why the Gap Between High and Pop Culture Is Still So Huge?
What Does the Popular Culture’s Critical Attention Mean?
How Can New Media Help Enhance the Spread of Local Pop Culture?
How Does Popular Culture Shape the Way Students See the World?
How Popular Culture Has Impacted the Smarts of the USA?
How and Why Japanese Pop Culture and Anime Comunity Has Invaded the U.S.?
How Does Popular Culture Shape Teen Society?
How Did the Infusion of Pop Culture in Educational Discourse Happen?
How Can Popular Culture Help to Engage Students in the Classroom?
How a School Shooting Affected a Nation, From Gun Control to Popular Culture?
What Event Has Forever Changed the Pop Culture of America?
Can stricter video game regulations help reduce youth violence?
Hollywood films should prioritize diversity and minority representation.
Do reality TV shows harm our relationships and values?
Music artists are well-positioned to foster political and social change.
The hidden dangers of the use of celebrity endorsements in advertising.
We should boycott fashion companies using excessive Photoshop and image editing.
Internet memes are a powerful tool to use in social activism.
Pop culture artists should challenge gender stereotypes.
Binge-watching as a threat to mental health.
Is it ethical to use CGI to resurrect dead actors in movies?
The lack of diversity in mainstream movies and TV shows.
Unrealistic standards promoted by fashion magazines.
The overemphasis on consumerism and materialism in pop culture.
The shallow nature of paparazzi culture.
The impact of digitalization on the homogenization of pop music.
The cult of youth and the marginalization of older pop culture icons.
The objectification of women in pop culture.
Modern pop culture: art as a commodity.
The promotion of toxic masculinity in pop culture and its effects.
The influence of pop culture on body image and eating disorders.
The impact of pop culture on adolescents’ identity formation.
The portrayal of gender and sexuality in pop culture.
Video games as an educational tool.
The depiction of mental health issues in pop culture and its effects on stigma.
The link between pop culture and consumerism.
The role of memes in modern communication.
The place of cosplay and fandoms in pop culture.
The impact of pop culture on fashion trends.
The influence of streaming services on the film and TV industry.
Pop culture’s role in shaping national identity.

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StudyCorgi . "163 Popular Culture Topics and Questions for Essays & Research Papers." March 1, 2022. https://studycorgi.com/ideas/popular-culture-essay-topics/.

StudyCorgi . 2022. "163 Popular Culture Topics and Questions for Essays & Research Papers." March 1, 2022. https://studycorgi.com/ideas/popular-culture-essay-topics/.

These essay examples and topics on Popular Culture were carefully selected by the StudyCorgi editorial team. They meet our highest standards in terms of grammar, punctuation, style, and fact accuracy. Please ensure you properly reference the materials if you’re using them to write your assignment.

This essay topic collection was updated on January 22, 2024 .

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100 best popular culture essay topics.

Popular culture essay topics are interesting and exciting to read about. They have mass appeal and most people can relate to them. Pop culture can take different media forms. It can range from comic books to films about superheroes. The list can also include fashion, social media, and slang.

As such, selecting pop culture topics to write about is not easy for some students. Although learners have many ideas to consider, they should think carefully before they start to research and write. Pop culture is often criticized for being superficial and primitive. Some people think it’s from indie groups. But, how justifiable are these beliefs? These are some of the issues that can form the basis of popular culture topics for essays. But, if struggling to choose what to write about, here is a list of popular culture topics to consider.

Argumentative Popular Culture Essay Topics

Most people love reading argumentative essays. However, writing argumentative essays on pop culture topics is not easy. It requires skills and time. Here are some of the topics to consider if you want to write an argumentative essay about pop culture.

Popular television shows do not portray what society considers important
Social media does not affect the movies that we watch
Globalization does not affect the pop culture
Globalization affects pop culture significantly
Social media affects movies significantly
Social ideas and pop culture do not have a connection
Popular culture is defined by social ideals
Celebrities influence the buying decisions of most people
Most people will buy a product that is sold by a celebrity
The popularity of soap operas will keep rising
Soap operas are no longer part of the popular culture
Music connects people and other music topics
Connecting with people that listen to different music style is not easy
Music can connect even people that listen to different genres
The internet does not affect what people enjoy
The internet affects what people like
Artists with a low following should watch everything they do and say
Artists should not worry about younger followers that mimic what they do and say
Weather channels should be an aspect of popular culture
Disney princesses affect young girls positively

When writing on any of these pop culture argumentative essay topics, students should be persuasive and provide relevant examples. What’s more, they should be logical in their thinking to convince readers to believe their viewpoints.

Topics about Culture and Science

It’s not easy for some people to think that science and popular culture can merge. However, some topics touch on both science and popular culture. If looking for a pop culture topic that allows you to talk about science, consider these ideas.

Some scenes in pop culture films are accurate
Experiments from Frankenstein can be conducted today
Some experiments from Frankenstein can be conducted in the future
Pluto should be considered as a planet in the current age
Evolution is real when viewed from a pop culture’s perspective
Evolution is a myth when viewed from a pop culture’s perspective
Discuss the popular existential crises attitudes in the 21st century
What can humans learn from watching television about neuroscience?
What parallels can be drawn from Huxley’s Brave New World with the current drug industry?
How does the Gattaca movie resemble current genetic editing
Discuss the popular attitudes towards 21st-century space exploration
Discuss changes in the evolution’s opinion in the popular culture over the centuries
What are the most common objections to eating meat as popular culture?
Can popular culture be studied in science professions by academics?
How has the perception of healthy eating changed?
How does popular culture portray scientific questions with a link to existential philosophy?
What is the effect of climate change movies on impact reduction?
Has the understanding of the solar system and stars been changed by popular science?
Discuss the popular objections that some people have towards vegetarianism
Why is the inclusion of popular culture references in academics wrong?

This list also has some of the best pop culture debate topics. Nevertheless, you should pick the idea to write about carefully. That’s because some ideas are the basis of controversial pop culture topics. As such, you must also convey contrary opinions and take a stance when writing your essay.

Social Issues and Culture Topics

Some pop culture essay topics tie with some social issues. A topic is popularized by society. That’s why most films, television programs, and books focus on social issues. Therefore, good pop culture topics are relatable to most people. Here are some of the best social issues and pop culture paper topics to consider.

Popular culture implication on dumbing down the youth
Racism and popular culture over the last century
Impact of the popular culture on the moral compass
Why some religions are popular than others
Which are the most popular religions?
Why does free speech stress some people in today’s society?
Discuss the impact of social media on popular movements in society
Analyze the current popular culture and consumer behavior trends
Analyze popular culture and consumer behavior in the past 100 years
Discuss the changing landscape in the popular culture and gender equality
How does popular culture represent terrorism
Discuss changes in terrorism representation over the past years
What are the most popular clans in the world?
What is the influence of popular clans?
Discuss the changing attitudes towards gender equality
How is the moral landscape changing?
What are the most influential cults in popular societies
How has feminism affected popular culture?
How does pop culture create apathy in modern society
How does homosexual attitude differ in society due to popular culture?

These pop culture research paper topics touch on social issues too. They show that popular culture is an important aspect of society. Students can focus on these pop culture research topics to show that this essential aspect can cause or solve issues in society.

Controversial Pop Culture Topics for Research Papers

Some popular culture research topics are generally controversial. Writing about such topics entails addressing the controversy that is witnessed almost every day by students. Nevertheless, writing about controversial American pop culture topics, for instance, requires analytical skills. Here are examples of topics in this category.

The government should ban some countercultures
Some cartoons are catchy and bright- Discuss with Toy Story in mind
Products of pop culture bend the present-day youth’s aesthetic perception
Social media activity should be moderated strictly
Some old music and books are better than some of the modern bestsellers
Most people criticize some products of pop culture for being trash
Celebrities should be accountable for racist messages
Most celebrities include sexist messages in their work
Parents should be attentive to the music listened to by their kids
Reading comic books can cause a superficial perception of daily reality

It’s crucial to remember that you should always be ethical when writing about controversial popular culture topics. That means you should focus on making a strong argument with sufficient evidence when writing your paper or essay.

Interesting Culture Speech Topics

Some educators ask students to write speeches on global and American popular culture topics. These topics can also be great for debates. Here are examples of topics that learners can choose for their speeches.

Negatives and positive effects of popular culture on young people
How pop culture can influence the current generation’s moral code
How the values of feminists are represented in contemporary cartoons
How pop culture denounces gender inequality
How popular culture promotes gender inequality
Discuss religious conflicts in pop culture
Explain the influence of pop culture on consumer behavior
How does pop culture lead to political apathy?
Is pop culture the reason why society has accepted homosexuality?
How is the fight against terrorism represented in popular culture?

These are great culture research topics that can also be great for speeches and debates. Nevertheless, they also require research to come up with detailed facts and present them properly.

Extraordinary Culture Essay Topics

Students that like thinking outside the box should pick extraordinary popular culture research paper topics. Here are examples of such topics.

Traveling is part of the modern popular culture
Pop culture is important for modern education
What is McDonaldization?
Discuss the American history representation in modern television series
Compare the portrayal of yakuza in Western and Asian pop culture
Contrast the portrayal of yakuza in Western and Asian pop culture
Contrast pop culture and folk culture
How has the childhood concept been changed by pop culture?
How has popular culture influenced the global economy?
Explain your relationship with the popular culture phenomenon
What is Black Dandyism?
Discuss the pop art principles
Explain ethical problems using pop culture’s technologies
What role do anime and manga play in modern popular culture?
How does American popular culture affect the rest of the world?
How is the US criminal justice system represented in pop culture?
How are the US courts represented in pop culture?
Discuss a famous historical personality in pop culture
How is the mentality of children influenced by their faith in superheroes?

Students can choose from a wide range of global, Asian, or American culture topics. However, it’s crucial to pick a pop culture topic that a learner is interested in. Our term paper writers are here to help. They make writing a paper or essay interesting and easy.

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Pop Culture Essay – Thoughts on Writing

The very concept of culture is rather broad – that’s why in order to write a good paper, it is better to focus on some kind of culture. For the purposes of this blog post, let’s focus on pop culture.

The benefits of writing on pop culture is that you, as the writer, have already experienced it and are experiencing it almost every day of your life.

What you hear from your car’s radio, what you see on TV, and what you find browsing online make up the pop culture of the modern time. In other words, a pop culture is the combination of images, perspectives, opinions, ideas and other components that are mainstream within a certain national culture.

The emergence of the pop culture

The term itself appeared in the 19th century and at first was associated only with those social strata that lacked education and were on the lower end of the income ladder. The pop culture was opposed to the official culture with its higher education and income standards.

After the World War II, the term acquired the new meaning of “mass” culture, or “consumerism” culture.

Even though the word “pop” is short for “popular,” the two have a difference in meaning. While “popular” is used to characterize a phenomenon that acquired popularity, “pop” has a narrower meaning of something that has qualities of mass appeal.

There are as many as six definitions of popular culture, none of which covers the full range of meanings.

How to write about pop culture?

There are SO many ways to write about pop culture, and we will only name a few possible directions you could follow.

High class and low-class cultures – what are they?
The message that the pop culture sends
The impact of pop culture on religion
The roots of counterculture
The responsibility of those producing popular culture to those consuming it
The issue of low-quality popular culture – is it possible for a pop culture to be of a low quality at all?
Can popular culture be an advocate of positive social changes?
Pop culture values – why people trade genuine talent for mass appeal?
The likely development of pop culture
Comparison of pop cultures of different decades
What could and could not be predicted in the development of the pop culture of the previous years?
The chances and the mechanism of a niche cultural movement being destroyed by people who don’t understand it
The influence of pop culture on shaping the personality
All things Andy Warhol as the father of pop art movement
The tattoo art as a part of the pop culture
Hip hop and its appeal for masses
The influence of pop music on social events
The influence of music on our social choices
The subjectivity in evaluation of classic and popular music quality
Where does the line between low class and high-cžlass music lie?
Pop music and its role in promoting the values of globalization
The current state of pop music
All things The Beatles
Narcotics abuse by major pop music figures
Michael Jackson as a key figure in the development of pop music
The complicated relationship of online piracy and pop culture
The influence of reality TV on the development and shaping of popular culture
The role of soap operas in popular culture
Media as sources of pop culture
The influence of the online world on popular culture and our choices within it
The impact of advertising on popular culture
The contribution of reality TV into the development of pop culture
All things The Simpsons as a quintessence of pop culture
Celebrity worshipping as a part of popular culture
The difference between celebrity worshipping and hero worshipping

Music, art, literature, movies – there are virtually no limits as long as you make a point by carefully choosing and presenting arguments. This is the beauty of writing creative papers, so use it as much as you can.

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Article Contents

Introduction, the research agenda for popular culture–world politics, a new agenda for pcwp, acknowledgements.

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Where We At? New Directions for Research on Popular Culture and World Politics

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Rhys Crilley, Where We At? New Directions for Research on Popular Culture and World Politics, International Studies Review , Volume 23, Issue 1, March 2021, Pages 164–180, https://doi.org/10.1093/isr/viaa027

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A decade ago, scholars of international relations articulated a research agenda for the study of popular culture and world politics (PCWP), and since then a burgeoning literature has grown in this area. This article critically reflects on the research agenda put forward by Grayson, Davies, and Philpott and explores how recent scholarship has furthered the study of PCWP. In doing so, this article identifies four limitations of current research and suggests that if PCWP scholarship is to remain committed to understanding how power, identities, ideologies, and actions are made commonsense and legitimate, while also problematizing global inequalities and injustices, then it needs to pay greater attention to the analysis of four areas. These are (1) race, colonialism, and intersectionality in PCWP; (2) the impact of digital technology on PCWP; (3) the audience interpretation of PCWP; and (4) practices of making and producing PCWP.

On December 4, 2016, the United States’ president elect, Donald Trump, took to Twitter to complain about a television show. “Just tried watching Saturday Night Live – unwatchable! Totally biased, not funny and the Baldwin impersonation just can't get any worse,” he wrote, signing the tweet off “sad” ( Trump 2016a ). This tweet was not the first of Trump's tweets to complain about Saturday Night Live (SNL), nor would it be his last. During the election, he'd described SNL as a “hit job on me” ( Trump 2016b ), and five days prior to his inauguration he whinged that “Saturday Night Live is the worst of NBC. Not funny, cast is terrible, always a complete hit job. Really bad television!” ( Trump 2017 ). These tweets reveal important dynamics about the importance of popular culture in world politics. Not only do they highlight that representations in popular culture are so important to Trump that he takes to other forms of popular culture to complain about those representations, 1 they also remind us that Donald Trump became a political figure, and eventually president, through his engagement with popular culture. Tabloid hijinks, self-help books, casino and hotel empires, golf courses, beauty pageants, wrestling shows, and reality TV are what made Donald Trump a household name ( Blumenthal 2017 ). Trump himself is the pop culture president writ large, as the political phenomenon of President Trump is inseparable from Donald Trump as a popular culture spectacle. Indeed, popular culture and world politics are not two distinct fields; they are a continuum where “each is implicated in the practices and understandings of the other” ( Grayson, Davies, and Philpott 2009 , 158). This is apparent in the interplay between Alec Baldwin's SNL satirical portrayal of Trump and Trump's tweets about the popular culture representation of himself. Neither one of them make sense without an appreciation of the other.

The importance of this popular culture–world politics (PCWP) continuum is no longer hidden at the margins of international relations (IR) scholarship. A growing number of scholars recognize that popular culture is important for understanding how “power, ideology and identity are constituted, produced and/or materialised” ( Grayson, Davies, and Philpott 2009 , 156). This research aims to understand how popular culture makes particular actions in global politics possible, and pays attention to how it renders these actions sensible, “common-sense” and legitimate ( Weldes 1999 , 133). The growing popularity of this research is reflected in special issues ( Moore and Shepherd 2010 ) and edited collections on PCWP, some of which have even placed on Amazon's bestselling academic books’ list ( Caso and Hamilton 2015 ).

This article recognizes that there is a wealth of innovative and important research on PCWP within the discipline of IR. However, there are several issues that require greater attention if this research agenda is to move forward and achieve its full potential. I draw inspiration from the Black feminist arts group Where We At, who, in the 1960s and 1970s sought to encourage the civil rights movement, feminists, and artists to take stock, engage in self-critique, and explore where they were at in an effort to understand how their art and activism could be more inclusive, intersectional, and effective in struggles for racial, sexual, and economic equality ( Farrington 2005 , 168). Following this, if work on PCWP is intended to explore how power, identities, and actions are made commonsense and legitimate ( Hall 1981 ; Grayson, Davies, and Philpott 2009 ; Moore and Shepherd 2010 ), then it is important to engage in a critical review of PCWP scholarship in order to understand how it can better address global inequalities and injustices ( Steele 2017 , 207).

With this imperative in mind, I begin by discussing the research agenda for PCWP put forward by Grayson, Davies, and Philpott (2009) , and I highlight how scholars have progressed PCWP research in important ways. I then build upon these contributions by drawing attention to four critical areas that require greater attention, further reflection, and more research. These include, first, the need for a more detailed engagement with race and PCWP beyond the “West,” alongside a more sustained engagement with postcolonial and decolonial scholarship. Second, I highlight the need for further analysis of the impact of digital technology on PCWP. Third, I advocate for a more sustained engagement with audience interpretation and emotion in PCWP. Finally, I suggest we need a more substantial account of how we go about making and producing PCWP research beyond the traditional confines of IR scholarship.

This paper sets out to explore the state of research on popular culture and world politics and it suggests new directions for PCWP research around four areas of critique. Importantly, these critiques can be articulated in response to IR as a broader discipline. IR on the whole remains “Western” centric, white, with post/decolonial scholarship often marginalized. One study found that “between 2000 and 2007 only 0.37% of the papers presented at the International Studies Association [annual conference] included the words ‘race,’ ‘racial,’ ‘racialized,’ ‘racism,’ and ‘racist’ in their titles” ( Haffner 2018 ). Others have noted how IR itself is founded on racist views of black inferiority and white supremacy in the service of empire ( Anievas, Manchanda and Shilliam 2015 ; Vitalis 2015 ). In the most recent TRIP survey of IR academics, 77 percent of those surveyed agreed or strongly agreed that IR “is a western dominated discipline” ( TRIP 2014a ) and 61 percent felt that “it is important to counter Western dominance in the discipline” ( TRIP 2014b ), so the need to “decolonise International Relations” ( Capan 2017 ) extends beyond those working on PCWP. Furthermore, IR continues to grapple with the implications that digital technology has on the issues at the heart of the discipline ( Jackson 2018 ). IR also still struggles with the politics of the everyday and the politics of emotion; issues laid bare as scholars seek to make sense of unexpected “irrational” events in the wake of the rise of “post-truth politics” ( Crilley 2018 ). Moreover, the increased attention to “impact agendas” in British academia alongside moves to ensure that scholarship is “policy relevant” in the United States highlights that there are pressures on scholars across the discipline to consider how they can disseminate research in ways that diverge from the traditional methods of writing academic articles and books ( Blagden 2019 ).

However, I position these critiques directly at PCWP scholarship because such research is concerned with understanding how certain forms of politics are made possible ( Grayson, Davies, and Philpott 2009 , 161), and at the heart of most PCWP scholarship is an ethos of critique and an imperative to address, challenge, and overcome the inequalities and injustices of global politics. Here, as Roland Bleiker has argued, “we need to employ the full register of human perception and intelligence to understand the phenomena of world politics and to address the dilemmas that emanate from them” ( 2001 , 519). As PCWP scholarship often focuses on understanding the intersections and mutual constitution of PCWP in order to address and resist dominant forms of power and authority (see, for example, Åhäll 2016 ; Tidy 2015 ; Brassett 2016 ; Innes and Topinka 2016 ; Kirby 2017 ; Saunders and Holland 2018 ), it is essential to remember that, as the Black feminist Shani Jamila states, “we can't get complacent” (quoted in Collins 2006 , 196) in our efforts to analyze the world and address oppression. In the context of Donald Trump's election and the rise of authoritarian regimes and figures such as Orban, Duterte, Modi, and Erdogan, impending catastrophic climate change, alongside global wealth inequality, it is vital that work on PCWP attempts to understand and address the problems that face the world today. However, if we are to do that effectively, we need to pay greater attention to several issues that so far remain underexplored in the extant literature on PCWP. For those of us who purport to be at the forefront of analyzing and addressing global wrongs by exploring how they are made possible through the intersections of culture and politics, we need to reflect, take stock of where we're at, and be alert to what we may be overlooking in our accounts of the world.

Therefore, this paper revisits the PCWP research agenda so as to ensure that we do not overlook, ignore, or silence political, social, and cultural phenomena of great importance. If the aim of PCWP research is to both open up the discipline of IR to new forms of knowledge and resist problematic forms of knowing and doing world politics, we need to constantly reflect on the ways in which politics and popular culture, as well as our own scholarship, develop over time. To this end then, this paper explores the literature on PCWP, and asks where we at? In response, it sets out four tentative areas for further enquiry and analysis. Before doing so, I outline the research agenda set out by Grayson, Davies, and Philpott in 2009 and note how these pathways have been followed and built upon.

While Grayson, Davies, and Philpott's (2009) article is not the first piece of scholarship to advocate for the study of popular culture in the discipline of IR, it is one of the first to collect together multiple strands of PCWP scholarship into a cohesive, coherent, and collective research agenda. To that end, it draws together the insights and arguments that feminist ( Weldes 1999 , 2003 ; Sylvester 2001 ; Weber 2008 ), constructivist ( Franklin 2005 ; Croft 2006 ; Neumann and Nexon 2006 ), poststructural ( Der Derian and Shapiro 1989 ; Bleiker 2001 ; Edkins 2002 ; Shapiro 2009 ), and postcolonial scholars ( Said 1979 ; Appadurai 1996 ) had articulated in their work. As such, Grayson, Davies, and Philpott's article has become a prominent agenda setting piece that outlines why PCWP research is important and how it can be studied, while also offering directions for future research. It has foregrounded subsequent research on PCWP (see Caso and Hamilton 2015 ) and for these reasons it warrants attention in order to understand the contemporary state of PCWP research.

Grayson, Davies, and Philpott’s research agenda consists of nine key points for PCWP research. First, it determines that the “signifying and lived practices of popular culture” ( 2009 , 158) are texts that need to be understood as important sites at which politics happens. Subsequent scholarship has recognized this, and it is not unusual to now see work on PCWP published in prestigious IR and political science journals ( Fey, Poppe, and Rauch 2016 ; Furman and Musgrave 2017 ; Press-Barnathan 2017 ; Young and Carpenter 2018 ). The study of popular culture is now considered a legitimate and essential source of inquiry for scholars of IR ( Carpenter 2016 , 64), whether they be working on security, political economy, or other diverse areas of study (e.g. Griffin 2014 ; Elias and Roberts 2016 ; Press-Barnathan 2017 ).

Second, Grayson, Davies, and Philpott argue that the endeavor to make sense of PCWP must draw upon cultural studies to “open up new avenues of investigation” ( 2009 , 158). Recent scholarship has demonstrated how cultural studies can be incorporated into the analysis of world politics by drawing attention to how popular culture is productive of identities, agency, and politics, both local and global ( Dixit 2012 ; Pusca 2015 ; Innes and Topinka 2016 ; Wedderburn 2019 ). Related to this is Grayson, Davies, and Philpott's third suggestion that taking popular culture seriously as a source of insight can transform what is considered important in the discipline, and can subsequently transform our perceptions of hegemony and resistance ( 2009 , 158). This then leads to a fourth pathway, which provides new opportunities for research, teaching, and impact, as we become “concerned with how perceptions of political possibility in global affairs are substantiated” ( Grayson, Davies, and Philpott 2009 , 159). Both these pathways are seen not only in the burgeoning PCWP literature, but also in the novel ways in which scholars have attempted to “do” IR through the creation of documentary films ( Der Derian 2010 ; Weber 2011 ; Cieplak 2017 ; Harman 2017 ), art ( Särmä 2016 ), narrative fiction ( Dauphinee 2013 ; Park-Kang 2015 ), dance ( Rösch 2018 ), and music ( Hast 2018 ).

Grayson, Davies, and Philpott also suggest that research on PCWP should explore a fifth avenue of research: how audiences interpret artifacts of popular culture ( 2009 , 159). Despite this, as Louise Pears has pointed out, “accounts of the audience have largely been missing” ( Pears 2016 , 79) in studies of PCWP. This is perhaps changing with a growing attention to everyday narratives of politics and security within the discipline where work has drawn upon focus groups ( Pears 2016 ), social media analysis ( da Silva and Crilley 2017 ), and interviews and ethnography ( Bos 2018 ) to document how artifacts of popular culture are interpreted by audiences and implicated in their broader understandings of world politics.

The sixth way in which Grayson, Davies, and Philpott suggest that the research agenda on PCWP can move forward is to complement the work being done by scholars of cultural studies. Here, the incorporation of concepts and approaches from IR like globalization and securitization can benefit the field of cultural studies ( Grayson, Davies, and Philpott 2009 , 159). This is most evident in the work of feminist scholarship on PCWP that speaks to debates beyond the confines of IR ( Shepherd 2012 ; Griffin 2014 ; Åhäll 2015 ; Dyvik 2016 ; Partis-Jennings 2017 ), as well as the scholarship of critical geographers whose analysis of popular culture and politics draws upon concepts such as sovereignty ( Dodds 2013 ), militarism ( Bos 2018 ), and neoliberalism ( Saunders 2019a ) and therefore provides interdisciplinary insights.

Seventh, research on PCWP has a pedagogical purpose in that it changes how we teach IR by encouraging students to see and read politics in familiar places such as films ( Grayson, Davies, and Philpott 2009 , 160). There is an increasing focus on the pedagogical utility of PCWP. Research has demonstrated that IR courses built around popular culture texts enhance student learning ( Engert and Spencer 2009 ). Studies also point toward there being a clear utility in using popular culture to help students learn about gender ( Clapton and Shepherd 2017 ), globalization ( Earnest and Fish 2014 ), US foreign policy ( Holland 2014 ), African politics ( Gibert 2016 ), the prisoner's dilemma ( Salter 2014 ), the nuclear taboo ( Fey, Poppe, and Rauch 2016 ), and how to survive the zombie apocalypse ( Drezner 2011 ; Hannah and Wilkinson 2016 ; Horn, Rubin, and Schouenborg 2016 ). By using popular culture then, scholars can teach students important issues in IR in ways that they can relate to and understand.

The final two recommendations of Grayson, Davies, and Philpott's PCWP agenda “[demand] that we reconsider how we as academics engage with the general public and the policy community” ( Grayson, Davies, and Philpott 2009 , 160) and it encourages us to rethink the policy community to include cultural producers such as film makers, photographers, musicians, street artists, and video game designers so as to suggest that scholars can broaden the audiences of their research and prompt new ways of communicating findings and ideas with people outside of the academy. Through forms of popular culture such as blogs, op-eds, social media, and other creative mediums such as narrative writing and art, academics can, and do, engage with the public in ways that possibly have more “impact” ( Edkins 2013 ; Callahan 2015b ) than articles published behind paywalls and hardback books on university library shelves.

The above discussion, while not exhaustive, suggests that there is a flourishing literature on PCWP that has taken heed of the research agenda put forward by Grayson, Davies, and Philpott. Yet, as the study of PCWP goes from strength to strength, there remain four issues that require further reflection and analysis if PCWP scholarship is to remain able to analyze, address, and even overcome the problems that face contemporary global politics ( Steele 2017 , 213). If PCWP research is to continue to be committed to problematizing “international power dynamics” ( Grayson, Davies, and Philpott 2009 , 161), a survey of the current literature reveals that it needs to address four gaps and issue areas. These are concerns around race and PCWP beyond the “West” ( Choi 2017 ; Steele 2017 ), the impact of digital technology on PCWP ( Jackson 2018 ; Shepherd 2017 ; Shepherd and Hamilton 2016 ), the audience interpretation of PCWP ( da Silva and Crilley 2017 ; Pears 2016 ; Young and Carpenter 2018 ), and the practice of making and producing PCWP as a way of doing IR scholarship ( Naumes 2015 ; Särmä 2016 ; Gibbon and Sylvester 2017 ).

Race and PCWP beyond the “West”

In 2009, Grayson, Davies, and Philpott noted that the focus of PCWP scholarship had “often been on the Anglo-American world” ( 2009 , 159). IR scholars have begun to explore PCWP in Russia and post-Soviet spaces ( Baker 2016 ; Szostek 2017 ), Africa ( Gibert 2016 ), the Middle East ( Khatib 2012 ), Asia ( Park-Kang 2015 ; Shim 2017 ), and Australasia ( Bleiker and Butler 2016 ). This work opens up the Anglo-American focus that has previously dominated such PCWP scholarship, and the attention to PCWP across the globe must continue, and it must also draw upon philosophies, theories, and methodologies from beyond the “West” ( Agathangelou and Ling 2004 , 2009 ; Steele 2017 ). This is because even though continental and postmodern philosophies provide fruitful tools for the study of PCWP they are often limited in their applicability beyond the “West.” Such theories are grounded in European experiences and thus hindered in their utility of understanding places and peoples beyond the confines of their own contexts, and moreover they often ignore “racialized and colonial relations, subjects and spaces” in their accounts of world politics ( Howell and Richter-Montpetit 2019 , 3). In IR, a range of post/decolonial scholarship has demonstrated that the study of world politics requires, and benefits from, the insights of thinkers, theories, and concepts from outside of the Anglosphere ( Bilgin 2008 ; Agathangelou and Ling 2009 ; Chan 2010 ; Shilliam 2010 ; Acharya 2011 ). It is subsequently vital that PCWP scholarship not only focuses on the “non-Western” world, but also places “non-Western” thought at the heart of its considerations ( Shilliam 2010 , 2). This is because certain forms of popular culture and political community—such as the importance of the Umma in Islamic societies—can be best made sense of from “ within non-Western traditions” ( Shani 2008 , 722, emphasis in original).

In addition to looking beyond the “Western” world of PCWP, we need to incorporate race into the heart of our analysis. This is because race is both inescapable and important in PCWP as it configures identities and shapes power relations ( Hall 1996 , 16). To this end, we require a greater attention to intersectionality and the interconnectedness of race and other identities in our accounts of PCWP. Since the late 1980s, Black feminists have advocated for analyses of intersectionality in studies of the world, and critiqued how social movements and critical social theorists tended to “treat race and gender as mutually exclusive categories of experience and analysis” ( Crenshaw 1989 , 139). Instead, Black feminists articulated an intersectional focus for scholarship and activism that accounted “for multiple grounds of identity when considering how the social world is constructed” ( Crenshaw 1991 , 1245). This understanding of intersectionality requires scholars of PCWP to explore and pay attention to race as a core aspect of intersectionality ( Crenshaw 2012 ; Carbado 2013 ) and as a key component of the assemblage ( Puar 2012 ) of factors (such as race, gender, sexuality, disability, etc.) that shape identities and social relations across the planet.

The importance of race in PCWP has recently been highlighted by Renni Eddo-Lodge who notes that:

when white people pick up a magazine, scroll through the internet, read a newspaper or switch on the TV, it is never rare or odd to see people who look like them in positions of power exerting authority. In culture particularly, the positive affirmations of whiteness are so widespread that the average white person doesn't even notice them. Instead these affirmations are placidly consumed. ( Eddo-Lodge 2018 , xvii)

Indeed, “positive affirmations of whiteness” are pervasive in popular culture, and an approach to PCWP that pays attention to race and intersectionality, and is grounded in post/decolonial theory can illuminate, for example, how knowledge of places and peoples outside of the “West” is constructed through depictions of them in popular culture as primitive, backward, barbaric, and inferior ( Said 1979 ). Recent PCWP scholarship that draws upon post/decolonial theory has revealed how the development of entire genres of popular culture such as science fiction was “indelibly linked to the apex of imperial conquest” ( Saunders 2019 b, 178), and has explored “how empire continues to shape popular conceptualisations of spaces, places and people” ( Saunders 2019 b, 179) in artifacts such as novels, films, comics, and video games.

Other studies have demonstrated how race is integral to the construction of identity in popular culture ( Innes and Topinka 2016 , 9–10), while other writers outside of the academy have explored the role that various forms of popular culture, such as fashion, play in contemporary understandings of race, immigration, and everyday experiences of racism for people of color ( Mahfouz 2016 ). These interventions reveal that race is an undeniable and integral aspect of contemporary PCWP. They remind us that we need to engage “honestly with the histories that configure our present” ( Bhambra 2017 , 227) and this requires a recognition of race, colonialism, and exploitation in PCWP. It also involves a move away from “methodological whiteness” in PCWP, where we all need to ask: how are race, colonialism, and racism operating in the continuum of PCWP that we are studying? And how does this configure the political possibilities of the present? By placing post/decolonial thought, intersectionality, and race at the heart of our analyses, we can better make sense of popular culture and politics in, and from, places beyond the “West,” while also understanding how many of the problems that face global politics—and the power relations that underpin them—are made possible through racism and colonialism.

Digital Technology and PCWP

Further to this, there is a need for greater consideration of the impact of digital technology on PCWP. This is because of two issues: first, the unprecedented growth of digital technology and its embeddedness in the everyday lives of billions of people across the planet means that digital technology now impacts PCWP in multiple ways. Second, the design, architectures, and affordances of digital technology need to be taken into account given how they shape how objects of PCWP are produced, circulated, and interpreted across the globe. This is especially prescient given how these technologies intersect with key political issues such as sexism and racism in world politics, where discrimination not only is prevalent across social media sites, but “is also embedded in computer code” ( Noble 2018 , 1) as the design of digital technologies can entrench existing inequalities ( Benjamin 2019 ; O'Neil 2017 ).

Digital technology is now a part of everyday life for many people across the globe, and as such requires attention from scholars of PCWP. At the end of 2019, over 4.3 billion people were using the Internet, and 2 billion people were using Facebook. The widespread proliferation of computer networking, digital technology, and the expansion of the Internet have fundamentally altered global communication. As Manuel Castells notes, “this has been the fastest diffusing communication technology in history … the Internet, in the diverse range of its applications, is the communication fabric of our lives” ( 2011 , 64). Over 350 million images are uploaded to Facebook every day, and images on social media sites are “the new dominant cultural visual form of the 2010s” ( Hochman 2014 , 1). Even if the majority of these images are rarely viewed outside of small circles of family and friends, the personal is always political and “mundane matters” have significance for global politics ( Enloe 2011 ). In the case of personal photographs shared on social media, they serve to document personal and collective memories, build social relationships, and express identities, and are therefore important sites of politics ( Van House et al. 2004 , 6–7; Vivienne and Burgess 2013 ). Despite such developments, scholars of PCWP are only beginning to account for the impact of digital technologies and social media on their objects of study ( Hamilton 2016 ; Robinson and Schulzke 2016 ; Dean 2018 ; Jackson 2018 ).

Within PCWP scholarship, there has been a tendency to focus on iconic examples of popular culture ( Hansen 2015 ); however, an appreciation of PCWP in the digital age requires an attention to everyday practices. For example, in 2017 over a trillion photographs were taken on digital devices worldwide ( Richter 2017 ). While there have been landmark sociological studies into the significance of “everyday” forms of PCWP such as the personal production and consumption of photography ( Bourdieu 1996 ; Chalfen 1987 ), scholars of PCWP have overlooked how digital technology enables and facilitates new modes of PCWP in everyday contexts. PCWP research requires greater attention to digital technology because “digitally mediated … expressions of selfhood can help understand not only the world in which we live, but also the social and cultural forces that have shaped contemporary world society, including persistent patterns of social inequality” ( Uimonen 2013 , 134). It is therefore urgent that we account for digital technology and the everyday in our analysis of PCWP.

The importance of this is highlighted by the recent remake of the film Ghostbusters . One could study the 2016 film itself and explore how it places female actors in the four main roles. Such an analysis might suggest that the film makes an important step forward in the overtly male-dominated world of Hollywood ( Rowley 2010 , 315). While this is perhaps the case, an analysis focused on the content of the film fails to recognize how the film was widely derided by men on social media. The film's trailer is currently the most disliked movie trailer ever published on YouTube, and comments such as “feminist bullshit propaganda” are emblematic of the vitriol that was espoused online by an audience of angry men. Consequently, the most pressing issues of politics around the Ghostbusters remake lie not in its content but in the social media comments about the film, where widespread sexism and racism would not be seen, nor understood, through a study of the film's content. Therefore, it is imperative for PCWP scholars to analyze the impact that digital technology has on their objects and sites of study, especially because technologies change how artifacts of PCWP—such as Hollywood films—are produced, circulated, and interpreted.

In addition to the prominence of digital technology in everyday life, new technologies reconfigure PCWP and present challenges for us, and we need to develop theories, methodologies, and methods to understand PCWP in the age of social media and big data ( Hamilton 2016 ; Jackson 2018 ). If there remain difficulties in methodologically making sense of PCWP in the context of traditional forms of media ( Bleiker 2001 , 2015 ), how do we begin to make sense of the personalized aesthetic, affective, embodied, augmented, and virtual realities of (currently) popular platforms such as Instagram, Snapchat, and TikTok? How can we account for the ways in which technologies, platforms, and algorithms shape our engagement with PCWP? Answering such questions involves interdisciplinary knowledge, theories, and methods from other disciplines, and underpinning all of this is a need to become savvy in how digital technology functions. For example, our digital experiences are personalized through algorithms: “automated and predetermined selection mechanisms [that] establish relevancy … ultimately demarcating the field of visibility for that media space” ( Bucher 2012 , 1167). These algorithms shape how content circulates online and lead to personalized online experiences. My Facebook news feed, my Google search results, my Netflix, my Amazon recommendations, and so on all look radically different from yours, and the prominent role of algorithms in the digital age challenges us to pay greater attention to how and why PCWP circulates across the globe in new, personalized ways. The importance of these factors is illuminated in how technology is implicated in Russian influence in the 2016 US Presidential elections where social media platforms enabled the Russian state to target specific groups of people with personalized ads in support of Donald Trump that were not visible to anyone who was not targeted ( Jamieson 2018 , 142).

Recent controversies pertaining to digital technologies such as those around Russian influence in foreign elections, the rise of ISIS, widespread misogyny online, and the radicalization of far-right actors all demonstrate that technologies are embroiled in contributing to global inequalities and injustices such as war, illegal activity, sexism, and racism. This is not simply a case of neutral platforms and technologies being used by nefarious actors. Rather, such inequalities and injustices are designed and built into the architectures of these technologies. Digital technologies and algorithms are made by people who “hold all types of values” ( Noble 2018 , 1–2), and evidence suggests that even when technologies are designed to be neutral, objective, or even progressive, they can, and do, “reflect and reproduce existing inequalities” ( Benjamin 2019 , 5; see also Gillespie 2010 ; O'Neil 2017 ). For example, Google's search function provides information that entrenches racist and sexist stereotypes of people such as “black girls” and “Asian girls,” and promotes the spread of racist far-right misinformation that has influenced the likes of the Charleston shooter who shot dead nine African Americans, all while Google profits from advertising at the height of media spectacles that such events engender ( Noble 2018 , 11).

The designers and corporations that produce and maintain the platforms, search engines, and technologies that structure our engagement with PCWP hold power over who can access these technologies, how they function, and how content circulates on and through them, and they can influence how these technologies can be used, abused, and manipulated. Ultimately, digital technology impacts the production, circulation, consumption, and interpretation of PCWP, forcing us to explore how new digital technologies disrupt and change PCWP in ways that require new theories and methods ( Bleiker 2015 ; Shepherd and Hamilton 2016 ).

The Audience Interpretation of PCWP

The issues concerning digital technology and PCWP are inextricably linked with how PCWP is received and interpreted by audiences. This is because understanding how people make sense of PCWP is of paramount concern if we are to understand the political and social significance of PCWP. However, in the literature there is little engagement with audience interpretation, or the affective investments made, or emotions felt, by audiences. As Kyle Grayson has argued “too often work on popular culture in IR is premised on an ersatz version of New Criticism … where a text means what it means without any socio-historical consideration of its producer or audience or context of reception” ( 2015 ). What we see with a lot of work on PCWP are sophisticated readings of what various representations mean, and there is little attention given to how those representations are produced or interpreted by audiences who engage with them. This lacuna may stem from PCWP's poststructural foundations, where researchers are interested in the content of discourse rather than in how discourses are interpreted by audiences. Yet, poststructural work should engage with audiences because the impact of discourses lies not in their content but in how they resonate with people ( Solomon 2014 ). To this end, poststructural PCWP work has begun to analyze audiences because the consumption, interpretation, and expressions of emotion are central to how “discourses circulate and take effect” ( Pears 2016 , 85). Following this, further work is needed into audiences of PCWP.

A turn toward the everyday within IR ( Stanley and Jackson 2016 ; Vaughan-Williams and Stevens 2016 ) and PCWP ( Basham 2016 ; Davies 2016 ; Saunders and Holland 2018 ; Saunders and Crilley 2019 ) lays the pathway for a more robust engagement with audience interpretation, affect, and emotion. It does so by pointing toward the utility of using focus groups, interviews, ethnographies, and social media methods to analyze what people think and feel about the PCWP texts we spend so much time studying. Even so, in the digital age we also need to rethink the very notion of the audience itself. This is because social media enable, encourage, and are reliant upon the active participation of audiences. In this way, audiences are now “the people formerly known as the audience” ( Rosen 2012 ) because their publication and circulation of content is vital to the function of social media platforms. Therefore, we must reconsider how we approach the audience, as they are simultaneously audiences, users, and producers of media content.

Furthermore, if emotions are central in shaping the effects of discourse, then there is a need to understand how audiences interpret and feel emotions toward the popular culture texts they view and engage with ( Solomon 2014 ). Recent work on emotion and affect provides important pathways for future research; however, this research is often concerned with understanding how emotions are represented in media and popular culture texts ( Åhäll and Gregory 2015 ) rather than on understanding how people feel emotions toward these media. There is space for scholars of PCWP to examine and explore how and why people interpret and feel emotions toward the popular culture artifacts that they engage with. This requires multiple methods beyond textual, discursive, and visual analysis. The turn to audiences necessitates the use of methods such as surveys that can reveal how audience opinions have changed through their engagement with PCWP ( Young and Carpenter 2018 ), computational methods to explore networks and sentiments of audiences ( Bay 2018 ), focus groups to understand the thoughts and feelings of audiences ( Pears 2016 ; Crilley, Gillespie, and Willis 2019 ), and ethnographic research to understand how people go about consuming, interpreting, and partaking in practices of PCWP ( Birkedal 2019 ). Not only do we need to recognize that there are multiple interpretations of popular culture texts ( Schulzke 2017 , 944), but we need to attempt to understand how audiences interpret these texts and we need to do so through the use of multiple methods ( Bleiker 2015 ). Essentially, “if you want to know how people understand their world and their lives, why not talk with them?” ( Kvale and Brinkman 2008 , xvii), and as scholars of PCWP we would be wise to not only write about our readings of PCWP, but also speak to audiences about theirs.

Practices of Making and Producing PCWP as IR

The final pathway for future research to be raised here concerns how PCWP scholars can and should produce their own forms of popular culture as a way of doing IR. The utility of producing cultural artifacts as part of our research, whether through narrative fiction, art and collage, photography, dance, or documentary videos, is something that is not only increasingly talked about, but also being done by various IR scholars ( Dauphinee 2013 ; Park-Kang 2015 ; Callahan 2015a ; Särmä 2016 ; Cieplak 2017 ; Harman 2017 ; Hast 2018 ; Rösch 2018 ). This marks a significant step in opening up what IR is, and there are benefits in using popular culture to communicate with and engage people in our research. Compare, for instance, the number of people who have downloaded one of Professor William Callahan's articles on documentary filmmaking and IR with how many people have actually watched one of his documentaries. Over 16,000 people have viewed one of his videos ( Callahan 2015a ), and in comparison, at the time of writing only 264 people have downloaded his article on documentary filmmaking published in Millennium ( Callahan 2015b ). Although the number of views does not necessarily indicate that engagement with the documentary was of a higher value than engagement with the article, the disparity between such a large number of views and a comparatively small number of reads suggests that “nonspecialists have an easier time engaging with a well-made IR film” ( Callahan 2015b , 910). It also reveals that there is value in making and producing popular culture as a form of researching and doing world politics if one of the goals of that scholarship is to reach broader audiences. However, there is a need to think critically about how we do this.

Writing in 2015, Sarah Naumes reflected on autoethnographic IR and asked “is all ‘I’ IR?” ( Naumes 2015 ). Naumes suggested that work using a narrative approach to IR should (1) “disrupt notions of congruity in political thought” and (2) “make room to incorporate those who have been excluded from political science discourse” ( 2015 , 822). To this, I would add that when we produce narrative writing, or other forms of popular culture as a form of scholarship, we need to recognize that there are bodies of practical knowledge, industries, and academic disciplines concerned with producing various forms of popular culture. While narrative writing and the creation of PCWP in itself serves to “enrich our academic practices” ( Ravecca and Dauphinee 2018 , 12), there are limitations surrounding the reluctance to evaluate the quality of such endeavors. Here, scholars engaged in producing popular culture as a way of doing IR state that their work is “not about writing good fiction” ( Park-Kang 2015 , 374), but about questioning the boundaries of IR. Such a project is valuable, however, in stating that the quality of the art and popular culture we produce does not matter; we overlook the insights from academic disciplines and bodies of practical knowledge concerned with what constitutes quality in art, literature, drama, film, and other forms of popular culture. We also limit the audience who we may wish to engage with. As research has found that better quality art is more effective at reaching audiences and prompting positive responses in them ( Meskin et al. 2013 ), good quality art and cultural artifacts may be better at intervening in and challenging the problems that plague global politics.

Subsequently, the need to adopt interdisciplinary approaches to practices of making PCWP stems from how they may help us make better forms of PCWP that can enable and enact new political possibilities. While judging the quality of art and popular culture is subjective, open to interpretation, and shaped by different contexts of taste and experience ( Bourdieu 2013 ), research has found that “mere exposure to bad art makes people like it less” ( Meskin et al. 2013 , 2). In this study, “bad art” was a series of paintings that were widely viewed by critics and other artists as poor, and were described as “so awful it must be seen to be believed” and as a “crime against aesthetics” (Heath, Potter, and Burkeman quoted in Meskin et al. 2013 , 8). While I do not contend that the cultural artifacts produced by IR scholars are “bad,” I suggest that because bad art produces bad outcomes (such as boredom in the audience, or a rejection of the values and intended aims of the artist) we should be concerned with making good quality art and cultural artifacts.

Making quality art as a form of doing IR requires a serious engagement with the likes of film, art, and cultural theorists and practitioners. In doing this, we might be able to tell better stories, and make better films and better forms of popular culture that may be more effective in intervening in the distribution of the sensible and enacting other, more inclusive forms of politics. This is, after all, what scholars like Jenny Edkins see as being the point of producing and creating popular culture in IR ( 2013 , 292). When we take to writing stories, making films, or producing songs, we should see the value of that not only in how it broadens the discipline of IR, but also in how it can make other forms of politics possible by prompting certain changes in the way audiences of our art think, feel, and act. This will be all the more likely if the art produced by scholars of IR is of a high quality according to the theoretical and practical conventions of those modes of culture.

There may be an intrinsic value in art for art's sake, yet when the stated goals of producing art as a way of doing IR are to open up new political possibilities and to challenge and change the status quo, then we need to look to make art not to simply open up our academic discipline. In this regard, Patricia Hill Collins has noted that Black feminists of the “hip-hop generation … bypass scholarly venues and other traditional outlets for feminist thought. Instead they express their feminist politics through mass-media and popular culture venues” ( 2006 , 161–62). For Black feminists, the point of making hip-hop music, spoken word poetry, and fiction is to have an impact beyond the confines of academic publications, classrooms, and conferences, and is to instead “turn their voices outward” ( Collins 2006 , 187). It is, in short, to engage in a form of popular “consciousness-raising” ( Collins 2006 , 187). This outward looking desire for change can be more effective for scholars of PCWP if we engage with traditions of producing art and culture, and in doing so attempt to make quality artifacts that will then serve to make other forms of politics possible beyond our own academic discipline.

The study of PCWP is no longer peripheral in the discipline of IR, and research on PCWP has come a long way since a research agenda was formulated and articulated by Grayson, Davies, and Philpott. However, if work on PCWP is to continue in the vein of contributing to the resistance of injustice, inequality, sexism, and racism that plague global politics in the contemporary era, then we need to begin to further interrogate several areas into our studies. Current gaps in the literature suggest future directions that require scholarship to critically analyze (1) PCWP beyond the “West” and the role of colonialism and race in PCWP; (2) digital technology and how it disrupts and changes how PCWP is produced, circulated, and received; (3) audience interpretation and emotion; and finally (4) how we ourselves can produce better cultural artifacts as part of our research.

These areas also require attention from IR scholars across the discipline. However, given that popular culture and world politics are interconnected and implicated in contemporary global wrongs, and given that an imperative to understand and challenge these wrongs underpins PCWP scholarship, it is vital that PCWP scholars take the lead. By analyzing PCWP beyond the “West” and drawing upon post/decolonial scholarship, by focusing on digital technology, by studying everyday interpretations and emotions, and by producing quality forms of cultural artifacts, PCWP scholarship can not only open up the discipline to new forms of insight and knowledge but also have an impact in addressing the ills of the modern moment. The stakes here are high. Across the globe, state leaders with neo-authoritarian leanings, corporations and climate change deniers, and racists, misogynists, and homophobes are utilizing forms of digitally mediated popular culture to invoke emotions and gain support in audiences. If we are to understand—let alone resist—such problematic forms of politics, then we need to reflect on where we're at with PCWP scholarship, address the future directions for research here, and ensure that we do not overlook important issues in our study of the world.

I would like to thank the participants of the 2017 Popular Culture and World Politics Conference in Newcastle who provided feedback on an early version of this article. In particular, Robert Saunders, Linda Åhäll, James Brassett, Kathryn Starnes, Ed Wastnidge and Kyle Grayson provided much needed encouragement. Thanks also to Amanda Murdie and the anonymous peer reviewers who provided comments that have greatly improved this article. I would also like to acknowledge the support of the Arts and Humanities Research Council [grant number AH/P00508X/1] that contributed time allocated to the final write up of this article.

Trump eventually threatened SNL with legal action for defamation. In other states, political leaders have banned satirical representations of themselves. For example, in 2017 the Russian government classified the “gay clown meme” of Putin's face wearing makeup over a rainbow flag background as extremist media and banned the production and sharing of it ( Cooper-Cunningham 2019 , 15–17).

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60 Popular Culture Essay Topics To Excite Your Mind

There is nothing as fascinating as writing on a subject you like. A majority of college students love pop culture, and hence this is a friendly paper for them. Nevertheless, coming up with good pop culture topics remains a tough battle yet to be won.

What Is a Popular Culture Essay?

It denotes an academic paper that investigates the set of beliefs, practices, and objects dominant in a society at a given point in time. The customs and behaviors embraced by the public are also part of pop culture.

How To Write Pop Culture Essay Topics

Popular culture encompasses various categories, such as social media, TV, music, slang, and fashion. Therefore, to have a hot pop culture topic:

Consider the culture of the day Look at the beliefs and tendencies towards it Settling on an interesting pop culture

Below are practical examples for your motivation:

Comparison Essay Topics Based on Popular Culture

How pop culture influences a person’s behavior and mode of talking
Compare and contrast the communication jargon between the old and young people
A case study of the trending topics on Twitter
Make a comparison of the advertisement techniques for male and female products
The pervasive influence of pop culture on everything we do.
How generation gaps influence different pop cultures

Serial Killers as Heroes in Popular Culture Essay Topics

The sadist nature of murderers in movies and plays
The more people see a particular crime, the less they are to participate in it
Do serial killer movies only portray them as heroes for ratings?
The depiction of serial killers as fathers, friends, or even co-workers
The question of nature versus nurture in developing serial killers
The relationship between serial killers and intelligence

Pop Culture Topic Ideas For College Students

The emergence of lip, cheek, tongue, and butt injections for ladies
Why women have a more affiliation for fashion than men
The emergence of celebrity worship in the 21st century
The depiction of dystopian futures and post-apocalyptic societies in movies
The one-dimensional nature of women in movie stories
How reality television shows have helped shape popular culture

Pop Culture Topics To Write About

The rise of hip hop music among teens and adolescents
How unisex clothing and hairstyles are becoming the new norm
Differentiate between the traditional TV Programmes and those of today
Explain why more teens prefer going out on weekends with their friends
How reality shows are becoming a form of exploitation and abuse
How to handle the LGBTQ movements in the 21st century

American Popular Culture Topics

Sexism and feminism in the American pop culture
How musicians are branding and marketing companies
American reality television shows and pop culture
Why Kim Kardashian is a household name in the US
Pop culture reflection of society
Lady Gaga’s ‘Till it happens to you’ video

Colorful Pop Culture Project Ideas

How social media impacts relationships
The role of cartoons in criticizing society
Movies as a mirror of society
Modern TV’s portrayal of gender roles
Internet and influence on music
Why ladies love soap operas
Is online learning the new norm?
Social media and increased teenage pregnancies
The role of the internet in parenting
Censor mechanisms for social media
Paparazzi and celebrity culture
Celebrities and people’s buying decisions

Are you tired of writing long essay assignments on your own? On top of professional pop culture topics, we also offer expert writing services online. Get your paper done fast today.

50 Culture Essay Topics — Best Ideas for College Students

From time to time, students have to observe various aspects of spiritual and material worlds and values. This process is frequent for History, Anthropology, Philosophy, Sociology classes. Talking about culture in the USA and other countries and conducting culture research helps to develop various skills and ways of thinking. Writing about it boost your creativity and help to formulate interesting thoughts while supporting them with reasonable evidence.

In college, young people are faced with a wide range of writings, and the culture is one of the most interesting essay topics to be assigned. It's always interesting to compare and analyze the development and importance of different customs around the world and find ways to understand contemporary popular art. But to express your opinion appropriately, it's important to decide on a subject matter first. And, if you don't have culture essay topics at hand, we are glad to help.

In this article, we offer you 50 topics for an essay in which you can explore customs, traditions, lifestyles, and art from different perspectives.

Choosing Your Topics

It is not that easy to select essay topics on this issue— there are too many of them! We can only pick the most relevant ones and give a hint on how to choose the best topic ideas.

If your professor does not assign a topic, specify whether you can choose one on your own.
Check your social media accounts for trends.
Brainstorm with your college friends.
Write down all possible topics that culture conveys well.
Search for the sources in your college library or online (e.g., Google Scholar).
Pick only credible references and fresh ideas to cover in your paper.
Decide which of the topics can be supported by most of the sources.
Think about the culture you're more-or-less familiar with.
Stay original — don't be afraid to come up with new topics!
Think of the reasons your theme to be rejected. If you doubt, it's better to consult your professor before writing.

Now, if you need some inspiration, you may use the ideas offered below.

The American Culture Essay Topics

Here, it's obvious that you should cover issues related to the history of the United States. Here are some of them:

The customs of American tribes that still exist in today's lifestyles.
The difference between the North and South American cultures.
"Uncle Tom's Cabin" and its culture influence in the history of the US.
Best pop culture products with their ideas on the Civil War.
The impact of the most known works in American literature on the rest of the world.
The role of the so-called Beat Generation in the development of American art heritage.
The origins of rock'n'roll and dance music.
Why do some works of art fall under certain genres?
The evolution of cinematography in the United States.
Massive amounts of immigration and its influence on native American society.

Note: While writing on American art and customs, make sure you have enough reliable evidence from history.

Canadian Culture Topics

As you may know, Canadian traditions and ways of living look significantly different from one people have in the United States. The essay example topics below can help you analyze different culture aspects of these countries and come up with a good paper:

The way Canada is showed in South Park.
Avril Lavigne and other famous Canadian rockers in the US.
How did Canadian hockey change sports development?
Why is Canada frequently associated with cold and ice?
Living in a chilly region with warm hearts.
Ukrainian and Russian diaspora in Canada.
Ethnicity groups that shaped the Canadian way of living.
Canada — before and after the exploration.
Famous Canadian actors and actresses.
Wild animals living in Canada that have an impact on their art and customs.

Note: If you're writing an essay about a foreign country, the simplest strategy would be to compare its lifestyle with the one you have in your homeland.

Pop Culture Topics

In the context of culture influence, the issue of pop art is exciting. If you think about soap operas and Britney," you're in the essence of that concept. Here are some interesting ideas for you:

The impact of popular art on marketing.
The connection between modern pop art stars and social networks.
Several ways to become popular today.
Sexism and feminism in the United States.
The top preferred reality shows.
Iron Man as the reflection of all heroes.
Heroes 3: Of Might and Magic.
Pop culture influence of Japanese anime on the life of students.
What makes Pokemon so popular?
Comparing different trends in culture.

Note: Remember that phenomena that have mass accessibility aren't always perfect. That is a good thought for an argument or persuasive essay.

World -Related Topics

These culture essay topics cover all regions, so you have a great variety of options to choose from. It is always a good decision to select the area (country, state) that interests you or that you've been to:

Generational trends in everyday life.
The way customs and art are different and similar in Japan and China.
Russian and Slovenian heritage and customs.
Customs and traditions of the Middle East.
The Chinese culture: leisure activities as a form of art.
The impact of Eurovision on world music trends.
Famous rock and metal bands from the United Kingdom.
A geisha in the Japanese culture.
Carnivals and other holidays in Brazil.
Things that make the Australian lifestyle so exciting.

Note: When comparing different lifestyles and customs, remember that there are historical reasons for everything. Even to discuss any heritage issue or custom of another country, you have to provide enough evidence.

Cultural Analysis Topics

If you need to write a paper on one of the analysis essay topics, we recommend using credible, up-to-date external sources and conduct in-depth research to analyze the specific issue from all possible aspects. Grab one of these ideas if you like:

Promotion of social changes nowadays.
"Strength lies in differences, not in similarities." Do you agree with this statement?
Things that make a motion picture popular.
Reasons why some music albums fail.
Modern pieces of art and their difference from retro.
A specific TV show that you like.
Revealing human worst traits on the example of a chosen antagonist.
Traveling and learning art and customs.
How does learning a foreign language help to get closer to the culture of people who speak it?
The origins of siesta and its role in the countries where they follow this tradition.

Note: Whatever topic you choose, analyze the concepts and phenomena objectively. Any analysis assignment requires a diligent approach and thoughtful background research.

Now, you have a full list of wonderful topics for culture essay. If you need more help or a custom essay written from scratch for you, contact professional writing service online!

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Capstone Research and Citing

Academic Sources for Pop Culture
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GETTING HELP

Do Academics Study Pop Culture?

Scholars and academics are often fans. Sometimes they even refer to themselves as "aca-fans".

Here is a sample of academic and peer-reviewed journals available in our research databases.

Sample titles:

International Journal of Comic Art - limited full text
Journal of Cultural Research in Art Education - full text
Journal of Popular Culture (US) - abstracts only
Journal of Popular Film & Television - limited full text
Studies in Comics - full text

JSTOR is a good resource for researching historical pop culture and trends. Search by subject to find both articles and book chapters.

Sample topics:

Film Studies
Cultural Studies
Journal of the Fantastic in the Arts

Fashion Theory
Journal of Popular Culture (Oxford)

Open Access Academic Journals

Ada: A Journal of Gender, New Media, and Technology
Antenna: Responses to Media and Culture (2009-2016)
Game Studies: The International Journal of Computer Game Research
Intensities: The Journal of Cult Media (2001-2017)
Journal of Games Criticism
Participations: Journal of Audience and Reception Studies
Social Media + Society
Transformative Works and Culture

Fan Studies

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75 Pop Culture Topics for Essays and Research Papers

Table of Contents

Are you searching for excellent pop culture topics for your academic work? If yes, then this blog will be helpful to you. Especially, for the convenience of students like you, here, we have presented an amazing list of 75 unique pop culture essay topics and research ideas. With subjects ranging from fashion and music to movies and social media, the topics we have recommended here will guarantee you to engage your readers. In addition to the list of pop culture ideas for discussion, we have also explained how to write an effective pop culture paper.

Continue reading this blog and get exclusive topic ideas on pop culture for academic writing.

What is Pop Culture?

Popular Culture or ‘Pop Culture’ refers to the material culture and tradition followed by a particular society. It is mainly transmitted to the younger generation via mass media. Mostly, pop culture focuses on cultural products like film, art, music, dance, literature, cyberculture, radio, and television that are consumed by a lot of society’s population. Essentially, popular culture is a set of values, beliefs, actions, objects, and practices that are popular during a specific time and space in society.

An Overview of Pop Culture Writing

If you are a student, then in your school or college, you may get a chance to deal with pop culture writing. In general, pop culture writing refers to the practice of studying, criticizing, and discussing many aspects of popular culture in written form. It covers a wide spectrum of current popular trends, such as movies, music, television shows, fashion, celebrities, internet phenomena, and more.

Steps for Writing a Pop Culture Paper

Are you unsure how to write an essay or a research paper on pop culture topics? If yes, then follow these pop culture paper writing steps.

Choose a relevant and intriguing pop culture topic that is interesting to you. It could be a certain film, television show, music genre, celebrity, or social media trend.
Develop a precise and short thesis statement that summarizes your major argument or point for your article. Your thesis should be targeted and present a specific viewpoint on the chosen topic.
Organize your ideas and create a neat outline for your essay.
Next, begin writing your academic paper with an engaging introduction that provides background information on your topic and states your thesis statement.
After the introduction, compose the body section. In the body paragraphs, present your analysis and back it up with evidence from your research. Furthermore, consider alternative perspectives and interpretations of your pop culture topic. Address the counterarguments as well. Make sure the ideas in your essay flow naturally from one paragraph to another. Add easy transitions between concepts and open each body paragraph with a clear topic sentence.
At the end of the paper, include a conclusion paragraph. The conclusion should summarize your important points and restate your thesis.
According to the given essay writing guidelines, format the citations, references, and overall structure of the paper.
Lastly, after you complete writing your academic paper, check your paper for grammar, spelling, and punctuation issues. Also, validate the clarity, coherence, and consistency of your ideas. If everything looks perfect, then you may go ahead and submit the paper.

List of Top Pop Culture Topics for Academic Writing

For writing an academic paper, a good topic is essential. If you have no idea what topic to choose for your pop culture paper, then without any hesitation, explore the list presented below. In the list, we have shared exciting popular culture topics for essays and research papers.

Also Read: 200+ Excellent Research Paper Topics of 2023

Simple Pop Culture Topics for Essays

Explain how technology affects pop culture.
Examine the impact of popular culture on consumer behavior.
Describe the role of fandom in pop culture.
Discuss the impact of K-pop culture on fashion.
Examine the correlation between mass media and pop culture in the U.S.
Discuss how globalization affects pop culture.
Compare folk culture and pop culture.
Is TikTok a part of modern pop culture?
Focus on the radio stations that contribute to pop culture in the past.
Discuss the types of pop culture topics that mass media ignore to broadcast.

Interesting Pop Culture Essay Ideas

Investigate how fandom culture varies around the world.
Discover the roots of the US pop culture.
Explain how politics influence pop culture.
Prepare an essay on a specific period of American pop culture.
Write about American fast food as a part of pop culture.
Explain how pop culture categorized social groups.
Examine how popular culture affects public health.
Analyze a pop culture artifact that you are interested in.
Examine the contribution of YouTube to the pop culture.
Explain how the 2020 pandemic influenced pop culture.
Talk about the lessons that pop culture teaches about gender.
Explain how pop culture portrays religion.
Explore the different popular culture issues.
Explain how memes influence public opinion.
Examine the impact of TV shows on self-realization among teenagers.

Also Read: 130 Excellent Agriculture Research Topics

Engaging Pop Culture Topics for Research

Analyze how pop culture unites American citizens.
Examine how cultural appropriation affects media.
Explain the impact of pop culture on gender imbalance.
Write about influential online news resources.
Examine the effect of pop culture on the morality of teenagers.
Investigate the influence of pop culture in eradicating terrorism.
Focus on the contribution of pop culture in promoting women’s rights.
Examine the ethical issues related to pop culture.
Prepare a research paper on the representation of pop culture superheroes in society.
Discuss the impact of pop culture on technology adoption.
Examine the challenges related to the trends in pop culture.
Discuss the effects of pop culture in promoting the fashion industry.
Analyze how pop culture changes with social events.
Examine the differences between men and women in pop culture.
Explain how music shapes a generation.

Captivating Pop Culture Essay Questions

Discuss the significance of pop culture in eradicating stereotypes.
Analyze the impact of pop culture on community practices.
Write about the importance of radio in modern popular culture.
Explain how pop culture trends affect intercultural relations around the US.
Examine the influence of nostalgia in pop culture.
Discuss the impact of travel on pop culture.
Explore the cultural appropriation debate in the fashion and music industries.
Analyze the rise of hip-hop music in popular culture.
Discuss the cultural significance of reality TV shows in modern society.
Explore the rise of streaming platforms and the decline of cable TV.
Examine the role of social media challenges in teenage peer pressure.
Discuss the impact of video game violence on aggressive behavior.
Explore the influence of social media on beauty standards.
Analyze how mental health is portrayed in popular media.
Examine the impact of streaming platforms on the music industry.

Latest Pop Culture Topics for Academic Papers

Examine the influence of pop culture on modern advertising strategies.
Explain the influence of digital media on fashion trends in pop culture.
Analyze the influence of pop culture on language evolution.
Write about the sneaker culture within the music industry.
Examine the role of pop culture iconography in classrooms.
Analyze the influence of science fiction on popular culture.
Discuss the influence of Greek Mythology in contemporary pop culture.
Examine the correlation between sports and popular culture.
Analyze the portrayal of LGBTQ+ representation in films and TV shows.
Examine the influence of pop culture on modern education systems.

From the list suggested above, choose any topic of your choice and compose a brilliant pop culture paper. In case, you require any other pop culture ideas for your academic work or if you need help with writing your essay or research paper on popular culture topics, call us right away.

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373 Culture Research Topics & Ideas for Essays and Papers

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Culture research topics include various human behaviors and beliefs, offering a deep dive into societal norms, values, traditions, and symbols that have shaped and continue to shape civilizations across time and space. Themes encompass many areas, such as linguistics, anthropology, sociology, psychology, history, and arts. Topics also may include investigating the effects of globalization on indigenous cultures, the role of pop culture in shaping societal values, impacts of cultural assimilation, or tracing the evolution of language in a particular region. Studies in this field illuminate the tapestry of human existence, providing rich insights into unique human histories. Thus, culture research topics are not only intrinsically fascinating but also have crucial implications for policy, education, and understanding of identity, community, and coexistence in an increasingly diverse and interconnected world.

Hot Cultural Topics

Unearthing Indigenous Histories Through Technology
Cryptocurrency’s Influence on Art and Culture
Ethical Dilemmas in Genomic Data Sharing
The Intersection of Environmentalism and Fashion Trends
Debating Authenticity in Social Media Influencer Culture
Exploring Minority Representation in Hollywood
Augmented Reality as a Cultural Experience
Redefining Gender Norms in Video Gaming
Street Art as a Political Commentary
Future of Libraries in the Digital Age
Culinary Trends Sparked by Plant-Based Movements
Cultural Shifts in Privacy Perception Post-Social Media
Language Preservation in a Globalized World
AI and the Transformation of Creative Industries
Mental Health Narratives in Popular Music
Eco-Cities: Blending Urbanism and Sustainability
Cross-Cultural Understanding Through Travel During Pandemic
Consumerism and Minimalism: Contrasting Cultural Phenomena
Unconventional Family Structures in Contemporary Literature
Futurism in Architectural Design and Cultural Identity

Culture Research Topics & Ideas for Essays and Papers

Easy Cultural Essay Topics

Influence of Digital Art on Cultural Identity
Food Traditions as Cultural Symbols
Relationship Between Language and Cultural Heritage
Rise of E-Sports and Its Cultural Significance
Virtual Reality in the Realm of Cultural Preservation
Social Media as a Tool for Cultural Exchange
Influence of Climate Change on Cultural Practices
Anime and Manga: Japanese Culture’s Global Reach
Cultural Perception of Privacy in the Era of Big Data
Reality TV’s Effect on Cultural Stereotypes
Cultural Implications of Urban Green Spaces
Nostalgia and Culture in Retro Fashion Trends
Understanding Cultural Context in Classic Literature
Cultural Diversity in Modern Cinema
Significance of Cultural Festivals in Building Community
Influence of Sci-Fi on Our Perception of Future Cultures
Cultural Perspectives on Mental Health in Popular Literature
Globalization’s Effect on Indigenous Cultures
Street Food and Its Connection to Local Culture

Interesting Culture Topics to Research for Essays and Papers

Maori Culture and Traditions
Intricacies of Japanese Tea Ceremony
Voodoo Practices in Haitian Culture
Celtic Traditions and Mythology
Arab Bedouin Traditions and Nomadic Lifestyle
Native American Tribes and Their Cultural Diversity
Balinese Rituals and Spiritual Practices
The Complexity of Tibetan Buddhism
Greek Orthodox Customs and Traditions
Culture of the Sami People in Scandinavia
Andean Cultures: Incas and Their Descendants
Mayan Civilization: Ancient Practices and Beliefs
Yoruba Religion and Cultural Traditions in West Africa
Nomadic Culture of the Mongolian Steppes
Diverse Cultural Practices of Australian Aboriginals
Culture of the Maasai Tribes in East Africa
Persian Poetry and Its Cultural Significance
Dance Forms and Culture of Polynesian Islands
Cultures of the Amazon Rainforest Tribes
Korean Hanbok and Traditional Dress Culture

Cultural Anthropology Topics for a Research Paper

Decoding Symbolism in Ancient Mayan Art
Understanding Power Structures in Tribal Societies
Exploring Ritualistic Practices of the Australian Aborigines
Influence of Globalization on Indigenous Cultural Practices
Rituals and Customs: A Comparative Study Between Maasai and Zulu Tribes
Investigating Linguistic Diversity in the Amazon Rainforest
Dynamics of Cultural Adaptation in Refugee Communities
Indigenous Knowledge and Biodiversity Conservation
Comparative Study of Death Rituals Across Cultures
Cultural Contexts of Folklore and Mythology in Slavic Societies
Digital Anthropology: Social Media and Cultural Practices
Cultural Perspectives on Gender and Sexuality in Pacific Island Societies
Transcultural Psychiatry: Mental Health Across Cultures
Insights into Cultural Healing Practices of Native American Tribes
Foodways and Culture: A Study of Mediterranean Societies
Dynamics of Social Change in Post-Colonial Societies
Material Culture: Analysis of Ancient Egyptian Artifacts
Cultural Interpretations of Climate Change in Arctic Communities
Cultural Factors in Public Health: A Case Study of Sub-Saharan Africa
Sacred Spaces and Cultural Identity: An Exploration of Hindu Temples

Cultural Criticism Essay Topics

Postmodernism and Cultural Representation in Media
Interrogating Orientalism: Western Perception of Eastern Cultures
Deconstructing the Beauty Standard in Pop Culture
Eco-Criticism and Interpretation of Environmental Narratives
Analyzing Power Structures in Classic Literature
Cultural Bias in Artificial Intelligence Systems
Culture and Censorship: Freedom of Expression in Various Societies
Unpacking Gender Stereotypes in Advertising
Culture of Fear: Media Representation of Terrorism
Colonial Narratives and Indigenous Voices in History Textbooks
Cyber Culture: The Dark Side of Online Communities
Cultural Appropriation vs. Appreciation: A Thin Line
Cultural Hegemony and Minority Representation in Film Industry
Ethnocentrism in Anthropological Research: A Critique
Understanding Whiteness: Critique of White Privilege
Body Image and Self-Esteem: A Critique of the Fashion Industry
Religion and Cultural Bias in Western Feminist Discourses
Consumer Culture and Critique of Fast Fashion
Mental Health Stigma: Cultural Perspectives and Criticisms

Cultural Diversity Topics for an Essay

Navigating Cultural Diversity in Multinational Corporations
Multilingualism and Cultural Identity in Diverse Societies
Cultural Diversity in Urban Design and City Planning
Influence of Cultural Diversity on Public Health Policies
Diverse Cultures: Integration Challenges in Immigration Policies
Cultural Diversity and Ethical Considerations in Clinical Trials
Understanding Cultural Diversity in Early Childhood Education
Cultural Diversity in Contemporary Literature: A Critical Analysis
Representation of Cultural Diversity in the Animation Industry
Multiculturalism and Its Influence on National Identity
Promoting Cultural Diversity through Public Broadcasting
Cultural Diversity and Inclusivity in Tech Industry
Managing Cultural Diversity in International Space Missions
Challenges of Cultural Diversity in Peacekeeping Missions
Influence of Cultural Diversity on Artistic Expression
Linguistic Diversity and Cultural Preservation
Cultural Diversity in Global Climate Change Dialogues
Cultural Diversity and Adaptation Strategies in Sports Teams
Diversity in Cuisine: Culinary Traditions Across Cultures
Cultural Diversity and Conflict Resolution in Global Diplomacy

Culture Heritage Research Topics

Preservation of Indigenous Knowledge Systems
Exploring Cultural Landscapes and Their Conservation
Digital Archiving and Cultural Heritage Preservation
Protection of Intangible Cultural Heritage
Cultural Heritage Tourism: Balancing Preservation and Promotion
Intersections of Cultural Heritage and Climate Change
Restitution of Cultural Artifacts: Ethical Considerations
Reconstructing Cultural Heritage in Post-War Regions
Maritime Cultural Heritage: Underwater Archaeology Challenges
Cultural Heritage and Memory: Significance of Oral Histories
Revitalization of Endangered Languages: Strategies and Challenges
Historic Urban Landscapes: Conserving Cultural Heritage in Cities
World Heritage Sites and Their Sustainability Issues
Conservation of Ancient Manuscripts and Rare Books
Sacred Sites and Cultural Heritage: Managing Religious Tourism
Cultural Heritage and Identity in Diaspora Communities
Management of Archaeological Sites: Balancing Research and Preservation
Investigating Looting and Illicit Trafficking of Cultural Property
World Cuisine as an Element of Intangible Cultural Heritage

Cultural Phenomena Topics

Unraveling the K-Pop Phenomenon: Cultural and Global Implications
Cryptocurrency Culture: A New Financial Phenomenon
Cross-Cultural Analysis of Conspiracy Theories
Spread of Internet Memes: A Modern Cultural Phenomenon
Cultural Aspects of the Global Wellness Movement
Globalization and the Cultural Phenomenon of Fast Food
Cyberculture and the Emergence of Virtual Communities
Reality TV and Its Cultural Repercussions
Influence of Celebrity Culture on Youth Values
Pandemic Culture: Changes in Behavioral Patterns Due to COVID-19
Examining the Cultural Phenomenon of Social Activism in Digital Spaces
Coffee Culture: A Global Phenomenon With Local Variations
Influence of Anime and Manga on Global Pop Culture
Cultural Phenomena of Aging Societies in Developed Countries
Nerd Culture and Its Influence on Entertainment Industry
Fashion Trends as Reflections of Cultural Change
Online Gaming Communities as Cultural Phenomena
Cultural Shifts in Attitudes Toward Mental Health
The Phenomenon of Remote Work and Cultural Implications
Cultural Perception and Adoption of Renewable Energy Solutions

Cultural Psychology Research Topics in Culture Studies

Cross-Cultural Perspectives on Emotional Expression
Psychology of Superstitions in Various Cultures
Analysis of Collectivist vs. Individualistic Cultural Psychologies
Cultural Factors Influencing Child Development
Cultural Psychology of Grief and Mourning Rituals
Understanding Perception of Time in Different Cultures
Body Language and Non-Verbal Communication Across Cultures
Examining the Cultural Context of Dreams
Cultural Influences on Human Memory
Cultural Diversity and Its Effects on Learning Styles
Cognitive Biases and Cultural Influences: A Comparative Study
Cultural Influences on Risk Perception and Decision-Making
Psychological Perspectives on Folklore and Mythology Across Cultures
Understanding the Cultural Aspects of Empathy
Interplay of Language and Thought in Cultural Psychology
Cultural Differences in Coping Strategies for Stress
Cultural Influences on Perception of Pain
Influence of Culture on Self-Esteem and Self-Concept
Psychological Analysis of Taboos Across Different Cultures

Environmentalism and Culture Research Topics

Cultural Practices in Biodiversity Conservation
Green Architecture: Cultural and Environmental Interactions
Cultural Perceptions of Climate Change in Island Nations
Understanding Indigenous Knowledge Systems in Environmental Stewardship
Environmental Ethics in Native American Cultures
Ecotourism and Its Influence on Local Culture
Influence of Environmental Movements on Contemporary Art
Cultural Factors Affecting Renewable Energy Adoption
Influence of Traditional Farming Practices on Biodiversity
Cultural Aspects of Waste Management Practices
Sacred Natural Sites and Their Role in Conservation
Cultural Landscapes and Strategies for Their Preservation
Impact of Climate Migration on Cultural Identity
Rituals and Myths Related to Nature Across Cultures
Impact of Environmental Policies on Indigenous Cultures
Understanding Cultural Dimensions of Urban Green Spaces
Influence of Culture on Perceptions of Genetically Modified Organisms
Culture and the Transition to a Circular Economy
Perceptions of Water Scarcity in Different Cultures
Cultural Responses to Deforestation in Rainforest Communities

Gender and Culture Research Topics

Exploring the Cultural Construction of Masculinity
Perception of Beauty Standards Across Different Cultures
Cultural Interpretations of Transgender Identities
Influence of Cultural Norms on Gender Equity in Education
Understanding Gender Roles in Indigenous Cultures
Implications of Matrilineal Societies for Gender Equality
Cultural Factors Affecting Women’s Political Participation
Gender Dynamics in Traditional Rituals and Festivals
Intersectionality of Gender, Culture, and Religion
Gender Representation in Global Advertising
Investigating Gender Stereotypes in Children’s Literature
Cultural Perception of Non-Binary Gender Identities
Influence of Gender Roles on Career Choices Across Cultures
Cultural Factors Influencing Maternal Health
Gender Dynamics in Migration and Displacement
Influence of Culture on Men’s Mental Health
Gendered Spaces: A Cultural Perspective
Culture and Gender Inequity in Access to Healthcare
Cultural Perspectives on Domestic Roles and Responsibilities

Globalization and Culture Topics

Understanding the Cultural Implications of Globalized Media
Cultural Resistance to Globalization in Indigenous Communities
Globalization and the Spread of English: Implications for Linguistic Diversity
Influence of Globalization on Local Music Genres
Exploring Cultural Homogenization in Global Cities
Food Culture in the Age of Globalization: A Case Study
Globalization and the Commodification of Indigenous Cultures
Globalization and the Transformation of Traditional Art Forms
Diaspora Communities: Navigating Globalization and Cultural Identity
Transnational Cinema: Cross-Cultural Influences and Globalization
Implications of Globalization for Indigenous Knowledge Systems
Globalization and Changing Gender Norms: A Cross-Cultural Study
Cultural Hybridity in Globalized Fashion Trends
Internet Culture and Globalization: A Complex Relationship
Globalization and Its Effect on Cultural Heritage Preservation
Influence of Globalized Education on Cultural Diversity
Cultural Adaptation in Global Marketing Strategies
Globalization and Transformation of Religious Practices
Impact of Global Migration on Cultural Diversity
Understanding Globalization’s Effect on Cultural Autonomy

Intercultural Communication Topics

Intercultural Communication in Multinational Corporations
Exploring Communication Barriers in Intercultural Marriages
Interpretation of Non-Verbal Cues Across Cultures
Intercultural Communication in Virtual Teams
Analysis of Humor in Intercultural Communication
Influence of Cultural Stereotypes on Intercultural Communication
Examining Intercultural Communication in Healthcare Settings
Challenges of Intercultural Communication in Diplomacy
Influence of Social Media on Intercultural Communication
Impact of Language Proficiency on Intercultural Communication
Intercultural Communication in International Development Projects
Implications of Cultural Taboos in Intercultural Communication
Intercultural Miscommunication: Case Studies and Analysis
Influence of Cultural Dimensions on Communication Styles
Intercultural Communication in Refugee and Immigrant Integration
Strategies for Effective Intercultural Communication in Education
Investigating the Role of Empathy in Intercultural Communication
Impact of Intercultural Communication on Global Marketing Strategies
Ethics in Intercultural Communication: A Critical Review

List of Culture Research Topics

Cultural Perspectives on Death and Afterlife
Influence of Pop Culture on Youth Identity Formation
Understanding Culturally Specific Healing Practices
Martial Arts as Cultural Phenomena: A Comparative Study
Street Art and Its Cultural Significance
Dynamics of Food Culture: Traditional vs. Modern
Exploring the Cultural History of Tattoos
Cultural Aspects of Aging: East vs. West
Cultural Factors Influencing Childbirth Practices
Language Revitalization in Endangered Cultures
Cultural Significance of Traditional Dress Codes
Examining Body Modification Practices Across Cultures
Indigenous Knowledge and Sustainable Agriculture
Analysis of Cultural Aspects in Cybersecurity
Influence of Culture on Parenting Styles
Representation of Culture in Animated Films
Cultural Practices in Disaster Management and Preparedness
Cultural Transformation in Post-Colonial Societies
Cultural Understanding of Mental Health Disorders
Decoding Cultural Symbolism in Mythology and Folklore

Multiculturalism and Diversity Research Topics

Multiculturalism in Children’s Literature: A Content Analysis
Exploring the Dynamics of Multicultural Teams in Organizations
Multicultural Education and Student Achievement: An Empirical Study
Influence of Multiculturalism on Urban Design and Architecture
Multiculturalism and Its Effect on National Identity
Implications of Multiculturalism for Social Justice Education
Perceptions of Diversity in the Media Industry
Understanding the Challenges of Multicultural Counselling
Cultural Diversity and Innovation in Start-Up Ecosystems
Effect of Multiculturalism on Interpersonal Relationships in Diverse Societies
Diversity and Inclusion in the Tech Industry: Case Studies
Cultural Diversity in the Judiciary: An International Comparison
Multilingual Education in Multicultural Societies: Best Practices
Multiculturalism and Its Influence on Public Health Policies
Social Cohesion in Multicultural Neighborhoods: A Field Study
Cultural Diversity in Political Representation: A Global Perspective
Inclusion of Minority Cultures in National History Curriculum
Multiculturalism and Its Influence on Contemporary Art Movements
Challenges of Managing Diversity in Higher Education Institutions
Multiculturalism and the Transformation of Urban Food Culture

Sociology of Culture Research Topics

Sociological Perspectives on Cultural Taboos
Culture and Social Class: Interplay and Implications
Cultural Factors in the Sociology of Deviance
Exploring Cultural Capital in Educational Achievement
Sociological Analysis of Food Culture and Social Status
Subcultures and Their Influence on Mainstream Society
Sociology of Cultural Assimilation in Immigrant Communities
Cultural Factors Affecting Social Mobility: An Empirical Study
Sociological Dimensions of Popular Culture
Understanding Cultural Factors in Health Disparities
Sociology of Aging in Different Cultural Contexts
Exploring the Sociology of Cultural Trauma
Cultural Context of Social Movements
Sociological Analysis of Celebrity Culture
Cultural Dimensions of Urban Sociology
Influence of Culture on Social Networks
Sociological Perspectives on Cultural Appropriation
Cultural Factors in Gender Inequality: A Sociological View
Understanding the Cultural Aspects of Gentrification
Sociology of Culture and Social Change: Case Studies
Cultural Transformation and Its Sociological Implications
Understanding Cultural Stigma in Mental Health
Body Image Perceptions Across Different Cultures
Cultural Influences on Societal Trust and Cohesion
Sociology of Music: Exploring Cultural Genres
Cultural Factors in Youth Gangs and Deviance
Cultural Nuances in the Sociology of Emotions
Exploring the Cultural Context of Aging Societies
Cultural Perspectives on Social Stratification
Sociological Implications of Intercultural Marriages
Cultural Narratives in Gender Identity Construction
Sociology of Art: Understanding Cultural Expressions
Understanding Cultural Perspectives on Human Rights
Cultural Factors in Environmental Sociology
Cultural Interpretations of Religious Symbols
Sociology of Language and Cultural Identity
Cultural Influences on Children’s Socialization Processes
Exploring the Cultural Dynamics of Social Protests
Sociological Perspectives on Cultural Heritage and Identity
Cultural Context of Intergenerational Relationships

Subculture Research Ideas

Gothic Subculture: A Sociological Perspective
Exploring the Culture of eSports Enthusiasts
Punk Rock: An Ethnographic Study of Rebellion and Resistance
Exploring the Vegan Subculture: Beliefs and Lifestyle
Cosplay Subculture: Identity and Community
Street Art: A Study of Subcultural Expression
Influence of Hip-Hop Subculture on Urban Fashion
In-Depth Study of the Online Gaming Subculture
Psychedelic Subculture: Perception, Art, and Social Norms
Understanding the Straight Edge Subculture: Music and Morality
Subculture and Identity Formation in Adolescents
Tattoo Subculture: Expressions of Individuality or Conformity?
Exploring the Subculture of Comic Book Fandom
Bodybuilding Subculture: Discipline, Lifestyle, and Body Image
Subcultural Study of Skateboarders: Rebellion or Recreation?
Hacker Subculture: Values, Beliefs, and Ethos
Exploring the Subculture of Minimalist Lifestyle
The Culture of Craft Beer Enthusiasts: A Subcultural Analysis
Unveiling the Mysterious World of Secret Societies

Western Civilization Essay Topics in Culture Research

Democracy and Its Origins in Ancient Greece
Influence of Renaissance Art on Western Culture
Exploring the Cultural Significance of the Magna Carta
Western Civilization and the Emergence of Scientific Thinking
Christianity’s Influence on Western Morality and Ethics
Enlightenment Thought and Its Influence on Modern Western Society
Fall of the Roman Empire: A Pivot Point in Western Civilization
Imperialism and Western Civilization: A Historical Analysis
Historiography of the French Revolution in Western Discourse
Industrial Revolution: The Engine of Western Progress
Influence of Western Civilization on Global Legal Systems
The Age of Exploration: Western Civilization Expands
Western Civilization: From Gutenberg’s Press to the Internet
Interpretations of the American Revolution in Western Thought
Historical and Cultural Analysis of Western Romanticism
Contribution of Western Civilization to Modern Medicine
Development and Influence of Western Classical Music
The Influence of Western Philosophy on Modern Thought
The Role of Western Civilization in Shaping Modern Economics
Western Civilization and Its Influence on Modern Democracy

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612 Culture Essay Topic Ideas & Examples

If you are writing a culture essay, topics are easy to find. However, their abundance can quickly become overwhelming – so we prepared this handy list of culture title ideas, along with writing tips and examples.

🤫 Culture Essays: Topics and Writing Tips

🏆 best culture topic ideas & essay examples, 👍 good essay topics about culture, 🎓 simple & easy culture title ideas, 📌 cultural topics and writing prompts, 🥇 most interesting culture topics to write about, ❓ research questions about culture.

Describing culture is a challenging task. You have probably stumbled across the concept if you study sociology, media, or a variety of other subjects. There are many cultural differences across the Earth. Each nation, community, and subgroup of people have its own values, vocabulary, and customs. In the 21st century, we can document and share them thanks to cross-cultural communication.

Since there is an almost infinite number of things to consider about this broad topic, our team has collected 582 topics about culture. Check them out on this page!

Culture essays present excellent opportunities for conducting extensive research. They allow students to analyze acute global problems and investigate the topic of diversity, customs, and traditions, as well as the significance of individuals’ cultural backgrounds. You can choose one of the many topics for your culture essay. You can find culture essay ideas online or ask your professor.

We suggest the following culture essay topics and titles:

The significance of cultural identity in an individual
Culture as a political instrument in the modern world
The differences between the Eastern and the Western culture
The role of culture in people from mixed origins
The impact of religious views on culture
Cultural diversity in the workplace
Are there similarities among different cultures?
The link between culture and gender roles

After selecting culture essay questions for discussion, you can start working on your paper. Here are some secrets of the powerful paper on the topic:

Conduct preliminary research on the selected issue. Remember that you should find as much relevant information as possible while presenting a multifaceted perspective on the issue. Ask your professor about the sources you can use and stick to the instructions. Avoid using personal blogs or Wikipedia as the primary sources of information. Do not make a statement if you cannot support it with evidence.
If you are writing a paper about a particular culture, think about whether you can talk to someone coming from this background. Such an approach can help you to include all the relevant information in your paper and avoid possible crucial mistakes.
Remember that a well-organized culture essay outline is key for your paper. Think of the main points you want to discuss and decide how you structure your paper. Remember that each topic or subtopic should be stated in a separate paragraph, if possible.
If it is necessary, check out essay examples online to see how you can organize the information. In addition, this step can help you to evaluate the relevance of the issue you want to discuss. Remember to include an introductory and concluding paragraph in which you will state the main points and findings of your paper.
Avoid discriminating against some cultures in your essay. Remember that even if you do not understand the causes of some behaviors or norms, you should not criticize them in your paper. Instead, help the reader to understand them better and provide insight into important differences between cultures.
Be accepting and try to be as accurate as possible. Support your claims with evidence from your preliminary research.
If relevant, include graphs and charts to represent significant information. For example, you can visualize the presence of diversity in the workplace in different countries.
Remember that the reader should understand the goal and idea of your paper clearly. Define all terms and avoid using overly complex sentences. Be concise but provide enough relevant information on the topic.
Make sure that you use correct grammar and sentence structures in your essay. Even an excellent essay can look bad with grammatical mistakes. Grammar-free papers allow the reader to see that your opinion is credible. Check the essay several times before sending it to your instructor.

Do not forget to find a free sample in our collection that will help you get the best ideas for your writing!

How Does Media Influence Culture and Society? The media has been instrumental in trying to explain to the people the meaning of culture and in the end enabling them to have a cultural identity.
How Do Celebrities Influence Society? Celebrity Culture Positive Effects Introduction Negative Effects Positive Effects Conclusion Student Name Professor Name Course Date
There Is No Place for Traditional Values in Modern Society Essay The value of culture in society is rapidly fading away as people continue to adjust to the patterns of modernisation. Modernisation, on the other hand, is the process of adopting new trends of life in […]
Raymond Williams’ “Culture Is Ordinary” Williams discusses the Marxist’s ideas on the interpretation and discussion of the culture and disagrees with some of the raised views.
6 Barriers of Intercultural Communication Essay Cross cultural or intercultural communication is a part of the interaction of different people from different backgrounds and heritages. In this way, prejudice is inevitable blockage of cross-cultural communication as it is a source to […]
Is Culture Essential? The Role of Culture in Human Life Culture is an integral part of human life, and its significance may be observed from several perspectives: as a powerful means for people to adapt to the environment they have to live in, as a […]
Impact of Culture on Communication Reflective Essay And also the differential consideration by the society to men and women, the approach of people in the lower strata of the society towards the social difference and the attitude of people to avoid uncertainty […]
Social Cultural Impacts of Tourism The tourist-host relationship and thus the social cultural impact of tourism is affected by the differences between tourists and hosts, the type of contact between tourists and hosts, the importance of tourism in a community, […]
Cancel Culture: The Adverse Impacts Only recently, Gen Z created the term cancel culture to refer to the modern form of public shaming. Topic Sentence: The increased awareness of cancel culture has promoted sudden judgments and simplified complex problems.
Filipino Food Essay However, because of the Spanish and American influence, meat, especially pork and chicken, are also served. So, Philippines is a country of festivals and a diversity of traditional dishes and beverages.
Relationship Between Language and Culture Essay The purpose of the essay is to clearly highlight the issue of intercultural communication with reference to language. Language is the first element that helps an individual to distinguish the cultural orientations of individuals.
Culture and Anarchy by Mathew Arnold This is due to the lack of awareness to the new culture. The entire book of Arnold takes culture as collection of everything what is the best and perfect in the world.
What Is Popular Culture? Definition and Analysis Therefore, Storey observes that the incorporation of the true meaning of the word culture as a way of life and culture should be in the form of ‘signifying practices’ named above.
James Rachels’ The Challenge of Cultural Relativism Essay The article “The Challenge of Cultural Relativism” by Rachels explores the issue of ethics. According to Rachels, cultural relativism fails to support the existence of universal moral standards.
Culture in Human Behavior Essay The act of changing a culture can only be minimal because of the complexities of the study complexity Culture, serving as a categorical idea of people, is a school of thought that has anthropologists all […]
The Advantages of Living in a Multicultural City Living in a multicultural city provides one with multiple benefits such as having opportunities to learn about other cultures, developing a better understanding of different cultures, and having more chances to improve one’s personality.
Four Types of Corporate Management Culture After studying such aspects of the work of large organizations as the relationship between employees, the subordination system in the company, and employees’ attitudes and views on the development of the MNCs, Trompenaars states that […]
Festivals and Their Importance for Modern Culture Thematic festivals are trendy and vital for today’s culture: different music festivals, art and design festivals, and even sex festivals. Modern-day festivals are widespread around the Earth, and they often combine the elements of local […]
Cultural Influences on Students Academic Performance Indeed as the definition is rightly put, practicing our culture is akin to cultivating our lives, with the help of tools and symbols that the society has bestowed on us. Others are of the opinion […]
Cultural Comparison: The United States of America and Japan First of all, it is important to note that both the United States of America and Japan have notable similarities as far as their cultures are concerned.
Food Habits and Culture: Factors Influence The food habits of a group of people/community can be described as the reasons for eating, the methods used while eating, the types of food eaten, and the mode of storage.
Celebrity Culture Is Harmful to Society In this paper, it is argued that celebrity culture is harmful to society because of its effects on childhood development and the glorification of wrong behaviors based on its tendency to nurture bad role models.
Attend a Cultural Event: Different Ethnic Communities’ Identities The warm and incredible welcome of the Turkish citizens adds spice to this event and helps the visitors to be more enthusiastic throughout the festival.
Pakistan: Culture and History Pakistan, officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, is a large culturally diverse country located at the crossroads of the strategically significant expanses of South Asia, Central Asia and Western Asia, and borders Afghanistan and Iran […]
Religion and Cultural Belonging: “The Flea Palace” by Elif Shafak The old and the new, the Christianity and Islam, the East and the West are shown closely interconnected for example in the description of the two ancient cemeteries in Istanbul and in the development of […]
UAE and Culture UAE’s society is multicultural. UAE culture has been defined by the Islamic religion as it is the most dominant in the region.
Zara: Corporate Structure and Culture In Luthans, due to the large size and diversity of the organization, Zara has departmentalized itself in terms of the services and products it offers in the market.
Diverse Contexts and Intercultural Communication at Work As the world moves to the global environment, the modern workplace becomes more and more diverse. When individuals are educated about intercultural differences are more likely to alter their communication styles to suit the needs […]
Pashtun Culture: Cultural Presentation This presentation will overview one of such groups – the Pashtun culture and the challenges a nurse may face working with its representatives.
Nok Culture’s Main Characteristic Features One of the most significant pieces of art is the Nok art, a testament of the Nok culture. Discovery of the sculptures in 1943 indicate the use of iron, the practice of smelting for tools […]
Coca-Cola Company’s Cross-Cultural Management The company also possesses a vision, which is a guiding factor to the units of the business, which is achieved by laying out whatever they need to achieve in order to sustain their progress and […]
McDonald’s Cultural Issues in India Some of the issues which are discussed include Mcdonald’s historical background, the cultural and ethical issues at the organization’s operations, and the social responsibility issues in different regions where the organization has operations.
Culture in Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe I also kill a cock at the shrine of Ifejioku, the god of yams” Ibo culture is shown through the world look of the Western society that is why the aspect of behavioral brutality was […]
Power and Culture: Relationship and Effects The relational determination in a particular society is a product of the role and function of power in a designated society.
Amazon Corporate Culture Issues Term Paper Problem Scenario: Amazon’s employees report about multiple cases of workplace disregard, the lack of benefits and praise as well as unfair ranking system that creates the need to analyze the corporate culture of the organization […]
USA And Nigeria: Hofstede’s Six Cultural Dimensions Comparison Considering the Hofstede’s cultural dimensions theory, the U.S.and Nigeria are similar in terms of masculinity, uncertainty avoidance, and long- term orientation, the half of all the suggested factors by Baack.
The Influence of Ramayana on the Indian Culture If one considers the image provided in the work with the work itself, one notices the detailed depiction of the life and activities of the protagonist.
Globalization and Food Culture Essay The interviewee gave the examples of France, America, and China in her description of how food can affect the culture of a place and vice versa.
Porsche’s Strategy, Structure, and Culture The change of the legal form of the company allowed other people who were not members of the Porsche family to become members of the Executive Board of the company.
Cross-Cultural Management Major Theories The study of different languages helps one in comprehending what people have in common and also assist in comprehending the diversity that underlies languages, methods of creating and organizing knowledge and the several different realities […]
The Literature of the Renaissance Period The main features of the Renaissance culture which also determine the elements of the Renaissance literature are the philosophy of humanism, the secular character of the art pieces, and the orientation on the antique patterns.
The Bhagavad Gita: The Role of Religion in Relation to the Hindu Culture From this point, it is important to focus on the Bhagavad Gita and its role for the Hindu culture in the context of the role of religion in the Hindu society because the scripture contains […]
Wal-Mart Company’s Cross Cultural Communication This system of operation has resulted in one of the labor activists called Wang Shishu led demonstrations in order to convince the management not to cut the pay of the employees.
Japan vs. Germany: Cultural Differences The first aspect of the matter is people’s activity in Japan and Germany within businesses as determined by culture and their habits and preferences in terms of distinguishing their work time and families.
Comparison of US and Germany Cultural Differences Power distance is the degree to which power is shared evenly in a community as well as the extent in which the community recognize and accepts this variation in power distribution among itself; this is […]
Chinese Traditional Festivals and Culture Of all the Chinese festivals, the Spring Festival has the greatest value to the Chinese people with its value equated to the value of the Westerners attachment to Christmas.
Reasons for Not Appreciating Different Cultural Point of View One of the reasons why people may not appreciate the cultural point of view of others is because of the differences in cultural values.
Egypt’s History, Culture, Religion, and Economy Over the next three millennia, Egypt would see the rise and fall of several civilizations, including the Old Kingdom, the Middle Kingdom, and the New Kingdom.
Importance of Cultural Diversity Campaigns such as the Black Lives Matter may be attributed to lack of inclusion and appreciation of different cultures. For instance, the discussion of inclusivity in the 1970s focused on primary and secondary dimensions of […]
Philippines Dressing Culture and Customs The country borders South China Sea to the North and West, the Sulu Sea and Celebs Sea to the southwest, and the Philippines Sea to the east.
Birthing Traditions and Practices Among Russian-Speaking Cultural Group Many things about Russia, its people, and its traditions remain a mystery for the average American, as a history of geopolitical and military confrontation, as well as the distance between the two countries, cause many […]
Japanese Animations’ Effects on the Japanese Economy and Their Cultural Influence on Foreign Countries These artists incorporate the characteristic anime stylizations, gags and methodology in their piece of work to produce animations that are a bit similar to Japanese anime. The growing interest among foreign artists in anime is […]
Cultural Differences Between Turkey and USA Spanish, Polish and Greek languages are also part of the oral communication of the people in America. The use of suffixes in Turkish language is very important and we can feel the grammatical functions of […]
The Effect of Globalization on a World Culture The net result is a global culture; the effect and extent that global culture has gone in the world varied among nations and continents; developed countries have their culture more diffused and uniformity can be […]
Apple’s Cross-Cultural Problems in China In the case of Apple, the main issues have to do with employee management issues mostly associated with working conditions and compliance to Chinese labor laws.
The United States of America’s Culture These are however just general views on what the American culture really is, the next section of this paper will go to the specifics, and zero in into the following factors that determine the true […]
Intercultural Communication Essay: Differences in Cultural, Religious, and Ethnic Backgrounds Identity management theories are also a form of intercultural communication theory developed to explain the cross-cultural aspect of communication where intercultural communication under this theory is seen to originate from the intercultural and intracultural types […]
Heritage Tourism and Cultural Tourism In the preservation of the sites for tourism purposes, it is clear that what is termed as the “culture of today” becomes the heritage of the future. There is a need to unveil the complexity […]
Cancel Culture: A Persuasive Speech Cancel culture is a phenomenon of modern society that has arisen thanks to the development of social media. However, in this situation, it is difficult to determine who sets the boundaries of the morally correct […]
Communication Culture: Hall’s High and Low-Context Model of Culture The differences in the modes and styles of communication are due to diverse cultures of the people from different countries. The aim of this report is to evaluate the concept of different communication cultures through […]
Cultural Competence: Indian Culture and Healthcare They also believed that, the disease was heredity and that if one member of the family suffered from one of the diseases, chances that somebody from the same family would contract the disease are high.
The Zulu Nation’s History and Culture The Zulu people live on the continent of Africa, in the southern part of it, which is known as KwaZulu-Natal. In this family, the husband stands for the chief, and institution of marriage is hallowed.
ABC Manufacturing Company’s Organisational Structure and Culture So, the owner has vast knowledge in this sector, which helps him to contribute the company for future development; Resources: Now, the company has two brand new large and modern CNC centres with all essential […]
Celebrity Culture and Its Influence on Society Before discussing the way Angelina Jolie and other celebrities affect modern society, it is necessary to identify the origins of the celebrity culture.
The Kikuyu Community: Religion and Culture The community speaks the Kikuyu language. Kenya’s Kikuyu people are the most popular and largest ethnic group.
Toyota’s Culture and Leadership Strategy Toyota’s Leadership and Culture Irrespective of numerous difficulties, the company is still one of the leaders of the industry. To understand the essence of the lean leadership, it is crucial to consider some peculiarities of […]
Managing Cultural Diversity: A Case Analysis of Hilton Hotels Corporation The hospitality industry, in particular, is at the core of recent developments in globalization and labor migration as can be witnessed by the increasing mobility of the workforce and attempts within the industry to expand […]
Cultural Norms: Fair and Lovely and Advertising Is the advertising of Fair & Lovely demeaning to women or is it portraying a product not too similar to cosmetics in general?
Cultural Diversity in the UAE: Social and Economic Development This view is in line with Rabah’s emphasis on the importance of respecting cultural diversity in the process of nation-building because the concept is useful in solving conflicts and developing solutions that are beneficial to […]
The Importance of Organizational Culture Essay Organizational culture and change is most valuable to an aspiring manager because it they form the basis of organizational success. It is imperative for managers to introduce change in the organization to encourage innovation and […]
Cultural Assimilation: Benefits and Challenges The mass migration of people leads to the fact that the population of the country is constantly growing, new nations come, and cultures are mixed, forming the so-called “melting pot”.
Communication Challenges in Intercultural Interactions This essay aims to show that communication in intercultural interactions is hindered by the communication style, body language, stereotypes, the tendency to evaluate, high anxiety, and differences in ways of completing tasks.
Cultural Identity and Heritage in the “Everyday Use” by Alice Walker In the broad context, Walker designs the story to underscore the conflict that African Americans faced concerning their cultural identity and heritage after the abolition of slavery.
Ramen Culture as a Vital Part of the Traditions in Japan Studying the history of the transformation of ramen culture and the role it plays in modern Japanese popular culture helps to explore the uniqueness of the phenomenon and understand the origins of its immense popularity.
How to Avoid Ethnocentrism – Essay on Promoting Cultural Relativism In an effort to understand ethnocentrism which is defined as, the tendency to believe that one’s cultural beliefs and their culture’s ethnic values to be superior to others.
My Big Fat Greek Wedding (2002) Cultural Analysis And the root of the word Miller is Greek and means apple in Greek. Overall, the treatment of the Greek culture in the movie is inelegant.
Tolerance and Respect for Cultural Differences The author concludes the essay in the third section by revisiting the thesis statement and highlighting the various approaches used to develop attitudes that promote respect and tolerance.
Culture and Development in Nigeria The following are some of the organizations that are concerned with cultural developments in Nigeria:- The African development bank is involved in major activities in the water sector and in sanitation projects across Nigeria.
Adolf Hitler’s Cultural Theories in “Mein Kampf” So, according to Adolf Hitler, the foreign Aryan spirit was the awakener of Japanese people hence the bore a culture that they did not create.
Ethnicity Essay: Cultural Background in the Daily Lives of Children and Young People The idea of a child according to Montgomery and Kellett refers to a representation of a whole category of young people that are identified by their age and intellectual development and also their social maturity […]
Impacts of Culture on Consumer Behaviour In addition, the impacts of the environment on the conduct of these consumers are made evident. For example, in the field of marketing, the phrase refers to acts and patterns of purchasing and buying.
Managing Cultural Diversity in the Hospitality Industry This is common due to confusion and the inability to interact with others in the society. This refers to the level of integration in the society.
The Luo Culture of Kenya The Luo people are the indigenous people of Kenya living around lake Victoria, which lies in the western part of the country.
British and Brazilian People: Cultural Differences It is critical to make appointments in advance, not to begin business discussions before the host, and to be on time for a business meeting.
Social and Cultural Aspects of Pre-Colonial Africa in Chinua Achebe: Things Fall Apart The novel emphasize on the encounters of the pre-colonial Africa and the effect of British colonialism during the 19th century. Gender disparity is clear in this village and the crimes are identified with gender where […]
Material and Nonmaterial Culture of Middle East The cultural heritage of the Middle Eastern countries is rooted in the deep history of humanity. The states of this territory almost entirely belong to the countries of the eastern part of the Islamic world.
Importance of Cross-Cultural Management in International Business As earlier pointed out, a vital requirement for success in an international business setup is the ability of managers to comprehend and appreciate other cultures across the world.
The Culture Industry According to Adorno and Horkheimer, the culture industry refers to the collection of all the aspects of technology in the modern society that brings change in the lifestyles of many.
Multicultural Education Benefits: Functioning in a Pluralistic and Egalitarian Society Students are thus required to acquire knowledge and skills necessary to function effectively in a pluralistic and egalitarian society. The teacher is thus able to enhance socialization and transmission of culture while providing academic skills […]
Convergence vs. Divergence of Culture and Literature – Examples The notion of culture emerged for the first time in the course of the 18th century. It was used to identify the culture of the people.
The Beautiful Country of Kazakhstan: Kazakh Culture The report on the culture must broaden the audience’s ideas about the country and explain some of the most respected traditions every Kazakh follows.
Campinha-Bacote’s Model of Cultural Competence It is valid to specify that the original title of the model is the Process of Cultural Competence in the Delivery of Healthcare Services.
Culture and Communication: Egypt Egypt is the origin of the earliest civilizations and has taken an important position in the Middle East as the connection between the Arab and Europe regions.
Italian Culture There is no post of the vice president in Italy and in the event that the president dies, elections will have to be held.
Cultural Pride and Cultural Baggage One of the articles that was written by Kincaid gives her experiences in England which portrays her cultural baggage as she finds it quite hard to fit in this society and to adopt a similar […]
The Fashion of the Hippie Culture Studying the fashion of the hippie culture is important because it illustrates the changes that society had undergone in the 1960s not only with regards to the style of clothing that people wore but also […]
Gender in Cross-Cultural Perspective by Brettell & Sargent Islam accorded equal opportunities to both men and women in the society when it realized the important roles that women play in the society.
Existential Therapy and Multicultural Perspective Paying attention to the entire idea of existential therapy, the exploring meaning and values of the issue will be considered referencing to the authenticity of the ideas, priorities, and values.
The Nature of People and Culture The first key point is the understanding that culture is the framework of life and influences the aspects of life for every individual.
Culture and Health Beliefs in Korea Buddhism and Confucianism have had the most profound impact on the spiritual world and the life of the Korean people, and more than half of the country’s cultural heritage is associated with these two religions.
Cultural Analysis – China and the Us In a bid to survive in such a market, it is crucial for the American investors to conduct a broad analysis of the cultural differences between China and the United States.
Culture and Agriculture: Nature and Significance Understanding Seeing that agriculture shapes the society and defines the course of its further development, promoting the ideas of environmentalism and sustainability, it will be reasonable to assume that agriculture belongs to the domain of cultures.
Kazakhstani Culture Through Hofstede’s Theory The purpose of the research paper is to discuss cultural similarities and dissimilarities, challenges of acculturation, helpful patterns of behavior, and look at the featured culture through the prism of Hofstede’s cultural dimensions theory.
Political and Cultural Impact of Alexander the Great’s Conquests Due to many territories that he conquered, the dominion that Alexander the Great had was regarded as one of the greatest in the history of the world.
Cultural Theory and Popular Culture: Structuralism and Post-Structuralism In the fields of literature, and design, architecture, in addition to marketing business and the interpretation of culture, history and law are started to analyze on the basis of post-structuralism in the nineteen sixties of […]
The Mughal Empire: Culture and Heritage The combination of the regions’ economic independence, the tensions between Hindus and Muslims, and the penetration of the subcontinent by the European economic powers led to the decline of the Mughal Empire.
IKEA Company’s Organizational Culture Thus, every worker is a carrier of the propagated IKEA culture, which in turn forms the basis for the success of the organization as a whole.
Cross-Cultural Environment Negotiations: Japan and America Based on this understanding, this paper shows that understanding the need for neutrality, cultural sensitivity, and flexibility is the key to having a positive outcome in a cross-cultural business negotiation. To have a proper understanding […]
Hofstede’s Cultural Model in Negotiations It is important to include terms and conditions of the relationship as a measure of reducing conflicts where third parties are involved.
Cultural Differences Among Families in the “Hotel Rwanda” Film Arguably, the existence of cultural differences between families across the lifespan is the most significant problem affecting the family of Rusesabagina as he attempts to play the role of a corporate manager and a family […]
Verbal and Non-Verbal Communication Styles Across Ethnic and Cultural Backgrounds In the essay, I discuss verbal and non-verbal communication styles across ethnic and cultural background, communication styles that a counselor may come across when dealing with culturally diverse clients and how a therapist can succeed […]
Cross Cultural Management and International Business In this essay we will focus on the role of culture in international business situations and also the strategies and frameworks that are appropriate in cross-cultural management.
Indian Custom and Culture Community For example, there were various activities used to illustrate this marking, and these would include invitation and welcoming of the bridegroom, exchange of flower garlands, presentation of the would-be wife, the ceremony of the sacred […]
Gang Culture in the USA: Symbols, Norms, Values The term culture refers to the norms and social behavior of a given community or group of people. Having the objects makes them feel brave and ready to act in the interest of the group […]
Born Red: A Chronicle of the Cultural Revolution With the fine details included in the memoir, it helps a reader to walk through the Chinese revolutionary era and witness the havoc that the revolution triggered by Mao Zedong had on the Chinese people. […]
Three Stages of Cultural Development The main goal of this paper is to describe my personal experience along the lines of the stages of cultural development.
Cultural Identity Theory: “How to Be Chinese” by Celeste Ng Thus, while recognizing the role that the specified cultural signifiers have for Asian American people in their attempts to retain their cultural identity, Ng also demonstrates the urge to introduce immediate change to prevent the […]
Culture and Identity: “The House on Mango Street” by Sandra Cisneros The past is a driving force for the future and it is hard to erase that part of an individual’s life.
Football Impact on England’s Culture This paper will study the various impacts of football both on the social life of people and on the economy of the country.
Social Cultural Causes of Crime There is need to highlight the social cultural factors of crime and describe the necessary positive measures to prevent the occurrences of crime.
The Role of Ethnocentrism in Intercultural Communication The only way to control ethnocentrism is to avoid biases as we find better ways to understand other people’s point of view.
Geography, Peoples and Culture Areas of Oceania Oceania is a geographical region of the planet that is located in the central and western parts of the Pacific Ocean and is mostly composed of a large number of small islands and atolls.
The Impact of the Internet in Culture and Daily Habits The growth of the internet has greatly improved our culture and society today with services it offers in the enrichment of our lives at work and at home.
Deaf in America: Voices From a Culture by Carol A. Padden, Tom L. Humphries Carol Padden and Tom Humphries, the authors of the book, “Deaf in America: voices from a culture”, state their intent in writing the book as that of presenting the culture of Deaf people in America.
Cultural Identity in “White Teeth” by Zadie Smith Exploring the thematic significance of the novels title “White Teeth” it would be instrumental to argue that the title touches on the aspects of cultural identity.
The “Brave” Intercultural Film Analysis In their discourse in the forest, the princess and her mother realized the need for relationship rebuilding, mending the bond that led to a solution for the kingdom’s survival.
Hall Stuart: Questions of Cultural Identity Hall states that it is important to theorize the notion of identity to make it more applicable. However, Hall still claims that it is important to understand what identity is.
eBay in Japan, Its Strategic and Cultural Missteps Its strategy of purchasing local companies in target countries as a measure of the quick establishment made it thrive in the European and the American markets.
Jamaican Family Cultural Practices The history of the Jamaicans in the United States began in 1619 when some blacks from Jamaica, as well as from the Caribbean islands migrated to the United States.
Cultural Pollution:Traditions and Historical Concepts The cultures traditions and historical concepts of the Middle East have over the centuries been characterised as by a distinct sense of variety that stems from a whirlwind of customs and traditions.
East Meets West: Culture Differences He described the Japanese as the best people known among the heathens.[2] “Portuguese Views of Chinese”[3] is an account of the first impression the Portuguese had upon encountering the Chinese.
Emerson’s, Whitman’s and Thoreau’s Cultural Impact This movement was based on the belief in the unity of the world and God. The doctrine of “self-confidence” and individualism was developed by convincing the reader that the human soul was connected with God […]
Cultural Role of Crepes in France French crepes have a long history of celebration. February 2nd was the day when every home in France would make twelve crepes to eat together.
Western Culture Impacts on the UAE Local Lifestyle One of the countries that observe the impact of western culture on the life of the young generation in the United Arad Emirates.
Saudi Arabian Culture In this view, observation of Islamic beliefs, norms, values, and traditions enables people to understand the Saudi Arabian culture and adopt it.
Chinese New Year Foods: Chinese Culture and Traditions This piece of work will give an in depth discussion of Chinese culture with the central focus being on the Chinese New Year Foods and its relationship with the changes that have been experienced in […]
Disney and Its Impact on Popular Culture and Society A waitress who is a cast in The Princess and the Frog undertake to begin saving to fulfill her dreams and the dreams of her late father of owning a restaurant.
Cultural Aspects in Different Societies For example, in some cultures, funerals represent a time of feasting and making merry whereas in majority of cultures funerals represent a time of grief and mourning. Their different cultures enable them to tolerate the […]
A Comparison Between Swedish and Australian Culture Impact of Culture on Life Experience and Belief System The interviewee explained that having been born in Sweden, where Lutheran is the main church, he followed the teachings of the Lutheran church.
Adorno and Horkheimer ‘The Culture Industry’ Review The underlying principle of this theory was to encourage the liberation of the user from the oppression of the manufacturers by inducing the user, to subject attitudes and beliefs to questioning.
Impact of Globalization on the Maasai Peoples` Culture This essay will therefore focus on the roles the aforementioned forces have played in changing the culture of the Maasai. Moreover, tourism has resulted in environmental degradation which is putting the Maasai on the brink […]
Concept of Globalisation and Cultural Diversity The Concept of Globalisation Globalisation can be defined as the minimisation of the differences between people of the world and the maximisation of their similarities through interactions, cooperation and communication.
Differences in Culture between America and Sudan American food manufacturers should adopt a marketing mix to make their food similar in looks and tastes to those from Sudan to suit the immigrants and customers from Sudan.
Cultural Hybridization: The Beliefs, Language, and Social Habits The interaction between the Tai, Han and Zhuang was through conflicts between the majority group, the Han in the Northern regions and the minority Zhuang and the Tai in the southern regions of China.
Taiwan and the U.S. Cultural Elements An evaluation of the cultural differences between Taiwan and the US is conducted in an effort to develop a comprehensive understanding of the cultural variation between the two countries.
The Marriage Traditions of Wolof Culture These include the role that marriage plays in the family formation in the Wolof society, what the economic background of the plural marriages is, and which traditions describe the marriage ceremony of the Wolof culture.
Visual Culture Understanding in Modern Society An essential component of a painting, apart from the visual form and the medium used, is the story behind it or the context in which it was created.
Cultural Diversity in the Play “Othello” It is the role of men to support women in this society, and that is why Desdemona’s father goes to court immediately, he is convinced that his daughter was bewitched by Othello.
Culture Comparison Between China and Japan In Japan, it can be proved by the fact that the name Japan is written in the Chinese Kanji and not the Japanese Katakana or Hiragana.
How Geography Has Impacted the Development of Ancient Cultures They include: the Gobi and Taklamakan Deserts, the Yellow and Yangtze Rivers, and The Himalayas. To the Egyptians, the Nile River was also a source of transport, facilitating the movements of the people up and […]
Comparison of the Australian and Indonesian Culture On the other hand, Indonesia is one of the countries with the largest population in the world and it has over two hundred ethnic groups who use different languages. Marriage is also important in the […]
Subjectivism and Cultural Relativism: Objections and Differences The key difference is that relativism relates the human experience to the influence of culture, while subjectivism states that right and wrong is a matter of personal opinion.
Organizational Culture & Leadership: Whirlpool Corporation At the heart of the discussion of management and leadership are the concepts of goal setting and results. Common to both managers and leaders is the focus on the results they produce, which are based […]
Food, Eating Behavior, and Culture in Chinese Society The majority of the food and the cookies were not an actual part of the Chinese cuisine. The issue of the origin of the fortune cookies demonstrates the global intersections.
Culture and Health Correlation People’s culture influences the type of food they purchase and the way they prepare it, which is a vital determinant of health.
The Overall Effects of Cultural Diversity in the Hospitality Industry The report focuses on analyzing the overall effects of cultural diversity in the hospitality industry. The nature of the industry’s workplaces and the way they deal with the issues concerning management of cultural diversity.
Cross Cultural Management Strategies: Brazil vs. America The failures in cross-cultural management mainly arise from the weaknesses of managers to consider the impact of cultural differences in their management practices.
Authenticity in Cultural Tourism Sites: A Critical Discussion This section aims to analyze whether it is important for cultural tourism sites to be authentic and the value of authenticity in these sites.
Body Ritual Among the Nacirema: Cultural Study For instance, the research by Professor Linton is qualitative in the aspect that it tries to unearth the cultural practices and belief system of the Nacirema people.
Hamlet’s Renaissance Culture Conflict The death of Hamlet as the play ends indicates that though he was the definite answer to all the questions before him as he faced death, he was not in any position to give any […]
Haiti History and Culture
Handy and Schein Models in Organizational Culture
Socialization for the Transmission of Culture
Cultural Intelligence by Christopher and Elaine Mosakowski
Consumerism Culture: Challenges and Solutions
Culture of the Dominican Republic
African Cultural Traditions and Communication
Language and Culture Interaction in English Language Teaching
Cultural Assimilation, Acceptance and Identity in Julia Alvarez’s Poetry
Cultural, Political, Economic and Legal Aspects of Doing Business in France
IKEA’s and Home Depot’s Cross-Cultural Management
Anthropological Approach to Culture
IBM Company’s Multicultural Project Team Management
Greek Culture and Traditions
The Renaissance and Its Cultural, Political and Economic Influence
American Culture Pros & Cons
Dance Analysis: Social and Cultural Context
Exploring the Human Culture
Cultural Diversity and Cultural Integration in Western Societies
Japanese and Emirati Cultural Differences
Vanilla: History, Culture and Production
History: Cultural Exchanges in the Medieval Period
Cultural Convergence: The Interactions Between Different Cultures
Nacirema Culture
Leading a Culture of Excellence in Healthcare Industry
Korean Culture: History and Principles
The Jarawa People and Their Culture
Culture Influence on Intimacy and Human Relationships
The UAE Cultural Analysis: Adherence to Traditions, Cultural Beliefs, and Values
Hospitality Industry: Coping with Culture Shock
Cultural Diffusion: Factors and Effects
Identity, Language, and Culture
Servant Leadership in Indian Culture and Hindu Religion
Culture and Identity as Depicted in Kay’s “Trumpet”
Multicultural Education: Action Plan for Professional Development of the School’s Staff
Threats of Globalization on Culture of Individual Countries
Multicultural Communication and Its Origin
Racial and Cultural Identity Development Model
Culture, Language and Influences on Development
Culture, Subculture, and Their Differences
The Erosion of Cultural Differences and Globalised Consumer Culture
Culture Identity: Asian Culture
Principles of Effective Cross-Cultural Communication Essay
History of Children’s Literature in Western Culture
Discussion: Cultural Roots and Routes
Intercultural Understanding in Hala Alyan’s Poems
Cultural Heritage of Oyo Empire in Africa
Cultural Competence: Jamaican Heritage
Cultural Differences in International Business
Columbia Under Hofstede’s Cultural Analysis
Cultural Family Assessment in “Under the Same Moon” Film
Heritage Tourism vs. Cultural Tourism Definition
Hofstede and Trompenaars Theories of Culture Diversity
Cultural Traditions and Practices in the Novel the Namesake by Jhumpa Lahiri
Cross Culture Management
Five Cultural Dimensions for Understanding the Values
The “Friends” TV Show as a Cultural Artifact
Sushi: History, Origin and the Cultural Landscape
Culturally Sensitive Care For Jehovah’s Witnesses
Organizational Culture of Google Incorporation
Diversity of Jamaican Culture
The Impact of Fashion Marketing on Culture
Dubai’s Food, Dress Code and Culture
Sustaining a Culture in Multinational Corporations
What Role Does Food Play in Cultural Identity?
Culture of Simping and Why One Should Stay Away From It
An Academic Critique of Hofstede’s Cultural Dimensions Theory
Local Museums and Their Cultural Heritage
Subculture Theories: Response to the Dominant Culture
Cross-Cultural Management and HRM in Walmart
Intellectual, Scientific and Cultural Changes in Europe Towards the End of 19th Century
Islamic Culture and Civilization
Enron Company’s Organisational Culture Problem
Ways in Which an Organization’s Culture is Transmitted to its Members
Cultural Belief System: Experiences and Traditions
Cultural Diversity in Hotel Industry
The Spread of European Culture
Cultural Prostitution: Okinawa, Japan, and Hawaii
Building High Performance Culture: Zappos
Pop Culture and Print Media: Trends Propagated by the Print Media
Intercultural Awareness and Multicultural Society in a Global Village
African and Western Culture in the “Touki Bouki” Film
The Preservation of Our Cultural Heritage: Music for Entertainment and Communication
Gender Roles and Family Systems in Hispanic Culture
Tesco and Global Supermarket Chain in Hungary: Cultural Issues
Does Copyright Enhance Creativity and Culture?
The Influence of the Cultural Current “Modernism” on the Conception of Music in the 20th Century
Coping With Cultural Shock and Adaptation to a New Culture
Race Matters, Cancel Culture, and “Boys Go to Jupiter”
The Importance of Understanding National Culture
American Culture and Indian Culture Comparison
Starbucks in China and Cross-Cultural Values
Starbucks Corporation Organizational Culture
Cultural Factors and Their Influence on Individuals
Intercultural Communication Patterns in the U.S. and UK
Culture Clash as a Great Conflict
Cultural Criminology: Inside the Crime
Muriel’s Wedding as a Representation of Australian Culture
“High” and “Low” Culture in Design
The Culture of Smartness in Education
Intercultural Relationships Importance
Porsche Brand’s Cultural Biography
Cultural Diversity: Diversification and Integration
Youth Culture and Globalization
Cultural Significance of Flynn Rider in “Tangled” by Greno
Cross-Cultural Sleeping Arrangements in Children
Intercultural Communication Led by UNESCO
The History of the Hippie Cultural Movement
The Cultural-Individual Dialectic and Social Nature of Intercultural Relationships
Music and Its Effects on Culture
Cultural Diversity and Cultural Universals Relations: Anthropological Perspective
Global Business Cultural Analysis: Japan
Cultural Revolution and Education in China During the 1960s-1970s
Juno and Political, Social, and Cultural Ideology
Singapore’s Culture and Social Institutions
Organizational Culture and Physical Structure
Intercultural Relations: Physical, Economic, and Linguistic
What Is the Relationship Between the Social Definition of Deviance and the Media’s Role in the Dissemination of Popular Culture?
Roman & Greek Mythology in Pop Culture: Examples, Referenses, & Allusions
Qantas Airways: Cross Culture and Safety Management
Struggle to Retain Culture: McDonaldization in China
Chicano Culture in “First Communion” by T. Rivera
Cabramatta’s Culture and Art
Procter and Gamble: Culture and Diversity in Decision Making
Compare and Contrast the Political Culture of Australia and Saudi Arabia
Disneyland’s Cultural Dimension: USA v. France
Culture and Conflict
“Family Supper” by Ishiguro: Eastern and Western Family Attitudes Cultural Differences
Paisà (1946) by Roberto Rossellini: Style, Theme, and Cultural Value
History of Multicultural America by Ronald Takaki
HR Managers and Cultural Differences
Cross-Cultural Communication Between the French and German Communities in Switzerland
The Influence of Heavy Metal on Japanese Culture
Challenges of Effective Intercultural Communication
Complexity of Managing Multinational Corporations: MNC Culture
Cultural Change: Mechanisms and Examples
Colombia’s and the US’ Cultural Dimensions
Implications of Korean Culture on Health
Organizational Culture in Educational Institution
Adorno’s Concept of Culture Industry
Indigenous Australian Culture, History, Importance
The Culture of the Nacirema Society
Genius of Western Culture – Lionel Richie
The Problem of Expatriate Management in Multinationals – Adaptation to Foreign Culture
Cultural Bias in Counseling Practices
The Role of Culture in Gospel Communication
The Business and Cultural Practices of Japan
Non-Material and Material Culture
Henry Jenkins’ Theory of Convergence Culture
Theory of Culture Care Diversity and Universality
The Bushmen: Culture and Traditions
The History of Guqin in Chinese Culture
The Cross-cultural Construct of Bronfenbrenner’s Ecological Systems
Brazil Food Culture and Dietary Patterns
Western Pop Culture and Street Fashion of Japanese Youth
Culture and Language: Impact on Reflections
Matthew Arnold’s and Raymond Williams’ Ideas About Culture
Venezuela Analysis: Economic, Political, Financial and Cultural Perspective
TV Culture: The Oprah Winfrey Show
Bahrain Fashion: Culture and Antiquities
Symbol: The Basic Element of Culture
The Role of Chinese Hats in Chinese Culture
Technology as a Form of Material Culture
Arab Music and Cinema Development: Western Culture Impact
The Impact of Cultural and Religious Tourism on Communities
People and Culture in Morocco
Influence of Political, Social, and Cultural Issues
Social, Cultural and Gender Inequality From a Global Perspective
Pokémon Go as a Pop Culture Phenomenon
Police Officers and Cultural Differences
The Influence of American Popular Culture on the Heroes of “The Bluest Eye”
Multicultural Literature. Juliet Kono’s “Sashimi” Poem
Food Preferences and Nutrition Culture
Cross-Cultural Differences Between the US and Pakistan
Umm Al-Nar: Geoarchaeology and Cultural Heritage
Google’s Corporate Culture and its Success
Fundamentals of Intercultural Communication
How Chinese Culture Influences Foreign Businesses
Globalization: Not a Threat to Cultural Diversity
The White House as a Cultural Symbol in US
Billboard as an Element of the Popular Culture
Cultural, Legal, Economic, and Political Aspects of Doing Business in China
Ways to Improve Intercultural Communication
Cultural Event: Worship Service in World Changers Ministries
Multicultural Psychology as a Subspecialty of Psychology
Tribal Tattoos: Cultural Appropriation and Appreciation
Culture Values Expression through Humanities
The Culture of Francis and Clare
Cultural Traditions: Arranged vs. Autonomous Marriage
Influence of African-American Culture on Rock n Roll Music
Culture and Communication Problems in HRM
Integrity in Organizational Culture and Ethical Theories
Appropriations, Prejudices and Cultural Cruise Control: Overview
Intercultural Communication: Paul Haggis’ “Crash”
The Impact of American Popular Culture on Society
Corporate Culture: What Is Toyota Way?
Cultural Traditions. Quinceanera vs. Sweet 16
Disneyland Hong Kong Company: Cultural Adaptation
Competent Care: Filipino Cultural Assessment Model
General Motors Company: Organizational Culture and Strengths
The Egyptians and the Hindu Cultural Rites Comparison
Human Emotions Psychology: Rooting in Biology or Culture
Xaniths as a Transgender in Omani Culture
The Educational Organization’s Culture
The Effects of Modern Popular Culture on Personal Beliefs and Values
Cultural Revolution in China in “Hibiscus Town”
Classroom Behavior and Culturally Diverse
Cross-Cultural Marketing and Cultural Differences in Markets
How Cultural Beliefs, Values, Norms and Practices Influence Communication
Cultural Diversity Management in the Workplace
The Concepts of Culture
Concept of Cultural Differences in Society
The Myth of the Culture of Poverty
Business Culture and Muslim Financial Institutions
How Does Culture Affect the Self Identity Personal Essay
Researching of Rituals in Culture
A Maslenitsa Festival as a Cultural Event
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A Groundbreaking Scientific Discovery Just Created the Instruction Manual for Light-Speed Travel

In a first for warp drives, this research actually obeys the laws of physics.

If a superluminal—meaning faster than the speed of light—warp drive like Alcubierre’s worked, it would revolutionize humanity’s endeavors across the universe , allowing us, perhaps, to reach Alpha Centauri, our closest star system, in days or weeks even though it’s four light years away.

The clip above from the 2016 film Star Trek Beyond showcases the effect of a starship zipping through space inside a faster-than-light warp bubble. You can see the imagined but hypothetically accurate warping of spacetime.

However, the Alcubierre drive has a glaring problem: the force behind its operation, called “negative energy,” involves exotic particles—hypothetical matter that, as far as we know, doesn’t exist in our universe. Described only in mathematical terms, exotic particles act in unexpected ways, like having negative mass and working in opposition to gravity (in fact, it has “anti-gravity”). For the past 30 years, scientists have been publishing research that chips away at the inherent hurdles to light speed revealed in Alcubierre’s foundational 1994 article published in the peer-reviewed journal Classical and Quantum Gravity .

Now, researchers at the New York City-based think tank Applied Physics believe they’ve found a creative new approach to solving the warp drive’s fundamental roadblock. Along with colleagues from other institutions, the team envisioned a “positive energy” system that doesn’t violate the known laws of physics . It’s a game-changer, say two of the study’s authors: Gianni Martire, CEO of Applied Physics, and Jared Fuchs, Ph.D., a senior scientist there. Their work, also published in Classical and Quantum Gravity in late April, could be the first chapter in the manual for interstellar spaceflight.

Positive energy makes all the difference. Imagine you are an astronaut in space, pushing a tennis ball away from you. Instead of moving away, the ball pushes back, to the point that it would “take your hand off” if you applied enough pushing force, Martire tells Popular Mechanics . That’s a sign of negative energy, and, though the Alcubierre drive design requires it, there’s no way to harness it.

Instead, regular old positive energy is more feasible for constructing the “ warp bubble .” As its name suggests, it’s a spherical structure that surrounds and encloses space for a passenger ship using a shell of regular—but incredibly dense—matter. The bubble propels the spaceship using the powerful gravity of the shell, but without causing the passengers to feel any acceleration. “An elevator ride would be more eventful,” Martire says.

That’s because the density of the shell, as well as the pressure it exerts on the interior, is controlled carefully, Fuchs tells Popular Mechanics . Nothing can travel faster than the speed of light, according to the gravity-bound principles of Albert Einstein’s theory of general relativity . So the bubble is designed such that observers within their local spacetime environment—inside the bubble—experience normal movement in time. Simultaneously, the bubble itself compresses the spacetime in front of the ship and expands it behind the ship, ferrying itself and the contained craft incredibly fast. The walls of the bubble generate the necessary momentum, akin to the momentum of balls rolling, Fuchs explains. “It’s the movement of the matter in the walls that actually creates the effect for passengers on the inside.”

Building on its 2021 paper published in Classical and Quantum Gravity —which details the same researchers’ earlier work on physical warp drives—the team was able to model the complexity of the system using its own computational program, Warp Factory. This toolkit for modeling warp drive spacetimes allows researchers to evaluate Einstein’s field equations and compute the energy conditions required for various warp drive geometries. Anyone can download and use it for free . These experiments led to what Fuchs calls a mini model, the first general model of a positive-energy warp drive. Their past work also demonstrated that the amount of energy a warp bubble requires depends on the shape of the bubble; for example, the flatter the bubble in the direction of travel, the less energy it needs.

☄️ DID YOU KNOW? People have been imagining traveling as fast as light for nearly a century, if not longer. The 1931 novel Islands of Space by John W. Campbell mentions a “warp” method in the context of superluminal space travel.

This latest advancement suggests fresh possibilities for studying warp travel design, Erik Lentz, Ph.D., tells Popular Mechanics . In his current position as a staff physicist at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory in Richland, Washington, Lentz contributes to research on dark matter detection and quantum information science research. His independent research in warp drive theory also aims to be grounded in conventional physics while reimagining the shape of warped space. The topic needs to overcome many practical hurdles, he says.

Controlling warp bubbles requires a great deal of coordination because they involve enormous amounts of matter and energy to keep the passengers safe and with a similar passage of time as the destination. “We could just as well engineer spacetime where time passes much differently inside [the passenger compartment] than outside. We could miss our appointment at Proxima Centauri if we aren’t careful,” Lentz says. “That is still a risk if we are traveling less than the speed of light.” Communication between people inside the bubble and outside could also become distorted as it passes through the curvature of warped space, he adds.

While Applied Physics’ current solution requires a warp drive that travels below the speed of light, the model still needs to plug in a mass equivalent to about two Jupiters. Otherwise, it will never achieve the gravitational force and momentum high enough to cause a meaningful warp effect. But no one knows what the source of this mass could be—not yet, at least. Some research suggests that if we could somehow harness dark matter , we could use it for light-speed travel, but Fuchs and Martire are doubtful, since it’s currently a big mystery (and an exotic particle).

Despite the many problems scientists still need to solve to build a working warp drive, the Applied Physics team claims its model should eventually get closer to light speed. And even if a feasible model remains below the speed of light, it’s a vast improvement over today’s technology. For example, traveling at even half the speed of light to Alpha Centauri would take nine years. In stark contrast, our fastest spacecraft, Voyager 1—currently traveling at 38,000 miles per hour—would take 75,000 years to reach our closest neighboring star system.

Of course, as you approach the actual speed of light, things get truly weird, according to the principles of Einstein’s special relativity . The mass of an object moving faster and faster would increase infinitely, eventually requiring an infinite amount of energy to maintain its speed.

“That’s the chief limitation and key challenge we have to overcome—how can we have all this matter in our [bubble], but not at such a scale that we can never even put it together?” Martire says. It’s possible the answer lies in condensed matter physics, he adds. This branch of physics deals particularly with the forces between atoms and electrons in matter. It has already proven fundamental to several of our current technologies, such as transistors, solid-state lasers, and magnetic storage media.

The other big issue is that current models allow a stable warp bubble, but only for a constant velocity. Scientists still need to figure out how to design an initial acceleration. On the other end of the journey, how will the ship slow down and stop? “It’s like trying to grasp the automobile for the first time,” Martire says. “We don’t have an engine just yet, but we see the light at the end of the tunnel.” Warp drive technology is at the stage of 1882 car technology, he says: when automobile travel was possible, but it still looked like a hard, hard problem.

The Applied Physics team believes future innovations in warp travel are inevitable. The general positive energy model is a first step. Besides, you don’t need to zoom at light speed to achieve distances that today are just a dream, Martire says. “Humanity is officially, mathematically, on an interstellar track.”

Before joining Popular Mechanics , Manasee Wagh worked as a newspaper reporter, a science journalist, a tech writer, and a computer engineer. She’s always looking for ways to combine the three greatest joys in her life: science, travel, and food.

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Open access
Published: 16 May 2024

Promoting equality, diversity and inclusion in research and funding: reflections from a digital manufacturing research network

Oliver J. Fisher 1 ,
Debra Fearnshaw ORCID: orcid.org/0000-0002-6498-9888 2 ,
Nicholas J. Watson 3 ,
Peter Green 4 ,
Fiona Charnley 5 ,
Duncan McFarlane 6 &
Sarah Sharples 2

Research Integrity and Peer Review volume 9 , Article number: 5 ( 2024 ) Cite this article

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Equal, diverse, and inclusive teams lead to higher productivity, creativity, and greater problem-solving ability resulting in more impactful research. However, there is a gap between equality, diversity, and inclusion (EDI) research and practices to create an inclusive research culture. Research networks are vital to the research ecosystem, creating valuable opportunities for researchers to develop their partnerships with both academics and industrialists, progress their careers, and enable new areas of scientific discovery. A feature of a network is the provision of funding to support feasibility studies – an opportunity to develop new concepts or ideas, as well as to ‘fail fast’ in a supportive environment. The work of networks can address inequalities through equitable allocation of funding and proactive consideration of inclusion in all of their activities.

This study proposes a strategy to embed EDI within research network activities and funding review processes. This paper evaluates 21 planned mitigations introduced to address known inequalities within research events and how funding is awarded. EDI data were collected from researchers engaging in a digital manufacturing network activities and funding calls to measure the impact of the proposed method.

Quantitative analysis indicates that the network’s approach was successful in creating a more ethnically diverse network, engaging with early career researchers, and supporting researchers with care responsibilities. However, more work is required to create a gender balance across the network activities and ensure the representation of academics who declare a disability. Preliminary findings suggest the network’s anonymous funding review process has helped address inequalities in funding award rates for women and those with care responsibilities, more data are required to validate these observations and understand the impact of different interventions individually and in combination.

Conclusions

In summary, this study offers compelling evidence regarding the efficacy of a research network's approach in advancing EDI within research and funding. The network hopes that these findings will inform broader efforts to promote EDI in research and funding and that researchers, funders, and other stakeholders will be encouraged to adopt evidence-based strategies for advancing this important goal.

Peer Review reports

Introduction

Achieving equality, diversity, and inclusion (EDI) is an underpinning contributor to human rights, civilisation and society-wide responsibility [ 1 ]. Furthermore, promoting and embedding EDI within research environments is essential to make the advancements required to meet today’s research challenges [ 2 ]. This is evidenced by equal, diverse and inclusive teams leading to higher productivity, creativity and greater problem-solving ability [ 3 ], which increases the scientific impact of research outputs and researchers [ 4 ]. However, there remains a gap between EDI research and the everyday implementation of inclusive practices to achieve change [ 5 ]. This paper presents and reflects on the EDI measures trialled by the UK Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) funded digital manufacturing research network, Connected Everything (grant number: EP/S036113/1) [ 6 ]. The EPSRC is a UK research council that funds engineering and physical sciences research. By sharing these reflections, this work aims to contribute to the wider effort of creating an inclusive research culture. The perceptions of equality, diversity, and inclusion may vary among individuals. For the scope of this study, the following definitions are adopted:

Equality: Equality is about ensuring that every individual has an equal opportunity to make the most of their lives and talents. No one should have poorer life chances because of the way they were born, where they come from, what they believe, or whether they have a disability.

Diversity: Diversity concerns understanding that each individual is unique, recognising our differences, and exploring these differences in a safe, positive, and nurturing way to value each other as individuals.

Inclusion: Inclusion is an effort and practice in which groups or individuals with different backgrounds are culturally and socially accepted, welcomed and treated equally. This concerns treating each person as an individual, making them feel valued, and supported and being respectful of who they are.

Research networks have varied goals, but a common purpose is to create new interdisciplinary research communities, by fostering interactions between researchers and appropriate scientific, technological and industrial groups. These networks aim to offer valuable career progression opportunities for researchers, through access to research funding, forming academic and industrial collaborations at network events, personal and professional development, and research dissemination. However, feedback from a 2021 survey of 19 UK research networks, suggests that these research networks are not always diverse, and whilst on the face of it they seem inclusive, they are perceived as less inclusive by minority groups (including non-males, those with disabilities, and ethnic minority respondents) [ 7 ]. The exclusivity of these networks further exacerbates the inequality within the academic community as it prevents certain groups from being able to engage with all aspects of network activities.

Research investigating the causes of inequality and exclusivity has identified several suggestions to make research culture more inclusive, including improving diverse representation within event programmes and panels [ 8 , 9 ]; ensuring events are accessible to all [ 10 ]; providing personalised resources and training to build capacity and increase engagement [ 11 ]; educating institutions and funders to understand and address the barriers to research [ 12 ]; and increasing diversity in peer review and funding panels [ 13 ]. Universities, research institutions and research funding bodies are increasingly taking responsibility to ensure the health of the research and innovation system and to foster inclusion. For example, the EPSRC has set out their own ‘Expectation for EDI’ to promote the formation of a diverse and inclusive research culture [ 14 ]. To drive change, there is an emphasis on the importance of measuring diversity and links to measured outcomes to benchmark future studies on how interventions affect diversity [ 5 ]. Further, collecting and sharing EDI data can also drive aspirations, provide a target for actions, and allow institutions to consider common issues. However, there is a lack of available data regarding the impact of EDI practices on diversity that presents an obstacle, impeding the realisation of these benefits and hampering progress in addressing common issues and fostering diversity and inclusion [ 5 ].

Funding acquisition is important to an academic’s career progression, yet funding may often be awarded in ways that feel unequal and/or non-transparent. The importance of funding in academic career progression means that, if credit for obtaining funding is not recognised appropriately, careers can be damaged, and, as a result of the lack of recognition for those who have been involved in successful research, funding bodies may not have a complete picture of the research community, and are unable to deliver the best value for money [ 15 ]. Awarding funding is often a key research network activity and an area where networks can have a positive impact on the wider research community. It is therefore important that practices are established to embed EDI consideration within the funding process and to ensure that network funding is awarded without bias. Recommendations from the literature to make the funding award process fairer include: ensuring a diverse funding panel; funders instituting reviewer anti-bias training; anonymous review; and/or automatic adjustments to correct for known biases [ 16 ]. In the UK, the government organisation UK Research and Innovation (UKRI), tasked with overseeing research and innovation funding, has pledged to publish data to enhance transparency. This initiative aims to furnish an evidence base for designing interventions and evaluating their efficacy. While the data show some positive signs (e.g., the award rates for male and female PI applicants were equal at 29% in 2020–21), Ottoline Leyser (UKRI Chief Executive) highlights the ‘persistent pernicious disparities for under-represented groups in applying for and winning research funding’ [ 17 ]. This suggests that a more radical approach to rethinking the traditional funding review process may be required.

This paper describes the approach taken by the ‘Connected Everything’ EPSRC-funded Network to embed EDI in all aspects of its research funding process, and evaluates the impact of this ambition, leading to recommendations for embedding EDI in research funding allocation.

Connected everything’s equality diversity and inclusion strategy

Connected Everything aims to create a multidisciplinary community of researchers and industrialists to address key challenges associated with the future of digital manufacturing. The network is managed by an investigator team who are responsible for the strategic planning and, working with the network manager, to oversee the delivery of key activities. The network was first funded between 2016–2019 (grant number: EP/P001246/1) and was awarded a second grant (grant number: EP/S036113/1). The network activities are based around three goals: building partnerships, developing leadership and accelerating impact.

The Connected Everything network represents a broad range of disciplines, including manufacturing, computer science, cybersecurity, engineering, human factors, business, sociology, innovation and design. Some of the subject areas, such as Computer Science and Engineering, tend to be male-dominated (e.g., in 2021/22, a total of 185,42 higher education student enrolments in engineering & technology subjects was broken down as 20.5% Female and 79.5% Male [ 18 ]). The networks also face challenges in terms of accessibility for people with care responsibilities and disabilities. In 2019, Connected Everything committed to embedding EDI in all its network activities and published a guiding principle and goals for improving EDI (see Additional file 1 ). When designing the processes to deliver the second iteration of Connected Everything, the team identified several sources of potential bias/exclusion which have the potential to impact engagement with the network. Based on these identified factors, a series of mitigation interventions were implemented and are outlined in Table 1 .

Connected everything anonymous review process

A key Connected Everything activity is the funding of feasibility studies to enable cross-disciplinary, foresight, speculative and risky early-stage research, with a focus on low technology-readiness levels. Awards are made via a short, written application followed by a pitch to a multidisciplinary diverse panel including representatives from industry. Six- to twelve-month-long projects are funded to a maximum value of £60,000.

The current peer-review process used by funders may reveal the applicants’ identities to the reviewer. This can introduce dilemmas to the reviewer regarding (a) deciding whether to rely exclusively on information present within the application or search for additional information about the applicants and (b) whether or not to account for institutional prestige [ 34 ]. Knowing an applicant’s identity can bias the assessment of the proposal, but by focusing the assessment on the science rather than the researcher, equality is more frequently achieved between award rates (i.e., the proportion of successful applications) [ 15 ]. To progress Connected Everything’s commitment to EDI, the project team created a 2-stage review process, where the applicants’ identity was kept anonymous during the peer review stage. This anonymous process, which is outlined in Fig. 1 , was created for the feasibility study funding calls in 2019 and used for subsequent funding calls.

Connected Everything’s anonymous review process [EDI: Equality, diversity, and inclusion]

To facilitate the anonymous review process, the proposal was submitted in two parts: part A the research idea and part B the capability-to-deliver statement. All proposals were first anonymously reviewed by a random selection of two members from the Connected Everything executive group, which is a diverse group of digital manufacturing experts and peers from academia, industry and research institutions that provide guidance and leadership on Connected Everything activities. The reviewers rated the proposals against the selection criteria (see Additional file 1 , Table 1) and provided overall comments alongside a recommendation on whether or not the applicant should be invited to the panel pitch. This information was summarised and shared with a moderation sift panel, made up of a minimum of two Connected Everything investigators and a minimum of one member of the executive group, that tensioned the reviewers’ comments (i.e. comments and evaluations provided by the peer reviewers are carefully considered and weighed against each other) and ultimately decided which proposals to invite to the panel. This tension process included using the identifying information to ensure the applicants did have the capability to deliver the project. If this remained unclear, the applicants were asked to confirm expertise in an area the moderation sift panel thought was key or asked to bring in additional expertise to the project team during the panel pitch.

During stage two the applicants were invited to pitch their research idea to a panel of experts who were selected to reflect the diversity of the community. The proposals, including applicants’ identities, were shared with the panel at least two weeks ahead of the panel. Individual panel members completed a summary sheet at the end of the pitch session to record how well the proposal met the selection criteria (see Additional file 1 , Table 1). Panel members did not discuss their funding decision until all the pitches had been completed. A panel chair oversaw the process but did not declare their opinion on a specific feasibility study unless the panel could not agree on an outcome. The panel and panel chair were reminded to consider ways to manage their unconscious bias during the selection process.

Due to the positive response received regarding the anonymous review process, Connected Everything extended its use when reviewing other funded activities. As these awards were for smaller grant values (~ £5,000), it was decided that no panel pitch was required, and the researcher’s identity was kept anonymous for the entire process.

Data collection and analysis methods

Data collection.

Equality, diversity and inclusion data were voluntarily collected from applicants for Connected Everything research funding and from participants who won scholarships to attend Connected Everything funded activities. Responses to the EDI data requests were collected from nine Connected Everything coordinated activities between 2019 and 2022. Data requests were sent after the applicant had applied for Connected Everything funding or had attended a Connected Everything funded activity. All data requests were completed voluntarily, with reassurance given that completion of the data requested in no way affected their application. In total 260 responses were received, of which the three feasibility study calls comprised 56.2% of the total responses received. Overall, there was a 73.8% response rate.

To understand the diversity of participants engaging with Connected Everything activities and funding, the data requests asked for details of specific diversity characteristics: gender, transgender, disability, ethnicity, age, and care responsibilities. Although sex and gender are terms that are often used interchangeably, they are two different concepts. To clarify, the definitions used by the UK government describe sex as a set of biological attributes that is generally limited to male or female, and typically attributed to individuals at birth. In contrast, gender identity is a social construction related to behaviours and attributes, and is self-determined based on a person’s internal perception, identification and experience. Transgender is a term used to describe people whose gender identity is not the same as the sex they were registered at birth. Respondents were first asked to identify their gender and then whether their gender was different from their birth sex.

For this study, respondents were asked to (voluntarily) self-declare whether they consider themselves to be disabled or not. Ethnicity within the data requests was based on the 2011 census classification system. When reporting ethnicity data, this study followed the AdvanceHE example to aggregate the census categories into six groups to enable benchmarking against the available academic ethnicity data. AdvanceHE is a UK charity that works to improve the higher education system for staff, students and society. However, it was acknowledged that there were limitations with this grouping, including the assumption that minority ethnic staff or students are a homogenous group [ 16 ]. Therefore, this study made sure to breakdown these groups during the discussion of the results. The six groups are:

Asian: Asian/Asian British: Indian, Pakistani, Bangladeshi, and any other Asian background;

Black: Black/African/Caribbean/Black British: African, Caribbean, and any other Black/African/Caribbean background;

Other ethnic backgrounds, including Arab.

White: all white ethnic groups.

Benchmarking data

Published data from the Higher Education Statistics Agency [ 26 ] (a UK organisation responsible for collecting, analysing, and disseminating data related to higher education institutions and students), UKRI funding data [ 19 , 35 ] and 2011 census data [ 36 ] were used to benchmark the EDI data collected within this study. The responses to the data collected were compared to the engineering and technology cluster of academic disciplines, as this is most represented by Connected Everything’s main funded EPSRC. The Higher Education Statistics Agency defines the engineering and technology cluster as including the following subject areas: general engineering; chemical engineering; mineral, metallurgy & materials engineering; civil engineering; electrical, electronic & computer engineering; mechanical, aero & production engineering and; IT, systems sciences & computer software engineering [ 37 ].

When assessing the equality in funding award rates, previous studies have focused on analysing the success rates of only the principal investigators [ 15 , 16 , 38 ]; however, Connected Everything recognised that writing research proposals is a collaborative task, so requested diversity data from the whole research team. The average of the last six years of published principal investigator and co-investigator diversity data for UKRI and EPSRC funding awards (2015–2021) was used to benchmark the Connected Everything funding data [ 35 ]. The UKRI and EPSRC funding review process includes a peer review stage followed by panel pitch and assessment stage; however, the applicant's track record is assessed during the peer review stage, unlike the Connected Everything review process.

The data collected have been used to evaluate the success of the planned migrations to address EDI factors affecting the higher education research ecosystem, as outlined in Table 1 (" Connected Everything’s Equality Diversity and Inclusion Strategy " Section).

Dominance of small number of research-intensive universities receiving funding from network

The dominance of a small number of research-intensive universities receiving funding from a network can have implications for the field of research, including: the unequal distribution of resources; a lack of diversity of research, limited collaboration opportunities; and impact on innovation and progress. Analysis of published EPSRC funding data between 2015 and 2021 [ 19 ], shows that the funding has been predominately (74.1%, 95% CI [71.%, 76.9%] out of £3.98 billion) awarded to Russell Group universities. The Russell Group is a self-selected association of 24 research-intensive universities (out of the 174 universities) in the UK, established in 1994. Evaluation of the universities that received Connected Everything feasibility study funding between 2016–2019, shows that Connected Everything awarded just over half (54.6%, 95% CI [25.1%, 84.0%] out of 11 awards) to Russell Group universities. Figure 2 shows that the Connected Everything funding awarded to Russell Group universities reduced to 44.4%, 95% CI [12.0%, 76.9%] of 9 awards between 2019–2022.

A comparison of funding awarded by EPSRC (total = £3.98 billion) across Russell Group universities and non-Russell Group universities, alongside the allocations for Connected Everything I (total = £660 k) and Connected Everything II (total = £540 k)

Dominance of successful applications from men

The percentage point difference between the award rates of researchers who identified as female, those who declare a disability, or identified as ethnic minority applicants and carers and their respective counterparts have been plotted in Fig. 3 . Bars to the right of the axis mean that the award rate of the female/declared-disability/ethnic-minority/carer applicants is greater than that of male/non- disability/white/not carer applicants.

Percentage point (PP) differences in award rate by funding provider for gender, disability status, ethnicity and care responsibilities (data not collected by UKRI and EPSRC [ 35 ]). The total number of applicants for each funder are as follows: Connected Everything = 146, EPSRC = 37,960, and UKRI = 140,135. *The numbers of applicants were too small (< 5) to enable a meaningful discussion

Figure 3 (A) shows that between 2015 and 2021 research team applicants who identified as male had a higher award rate than those who identified as female when applying for EPSRC and wider UKRI research council funding. Connected Everything funding applicants who identified as female achieved a higher award rate (19.4%, 95% CI [6.5%, 32.4%] out of 146) compared to male applicants (15.6%, 95% CI [8.8%, 22.4%] out of 146). These data suggest that biases have been reduced by the Connected Everything review process and other mitigation strategies (e.g., visible gender diversity in panel pitch members and publishing CE principal and goals to demonstrate commitment to equality and fairness). This finding aligns with an earlier study that found gender bias during the peer review process, resulting in female investigators receiving less favourable evaluations than their male counterparts [ 15 ].

Over-representation of people identifying as male in engineering and technology academic community

Figure 4 shows the response to the gender question, with 24.2%, 95% CI [19.0%, 29.4%] of 260 responses identifying as female. This aligns with the average for the engineering and technology cluster (21.4%, 95% CI [20.9%, 21.9%] female of 27,740 academic staff), which includes subject areas representative of our main funder, EPSRC [ 22 ]. We also sought to understand the representation of transgender researchers within the network. However, following the rounding policy outlined by UK Government statistics policies and procedures [ 39 ], the number of responses that identified as a different sex to birth was too low (< 5) to enable a meaningful discussion.

Gender question responses from a total of 260 respondents

Dominance of successful applications from white academics

Figure 3 (C) shows that researchers with a minority ethnicity consistently have a lower award rate than white researchers when applying for EPSRC and UKRI funding. Similarly, the results in Fig. 3 (C) indicate that white researchers are more successful (8.0% percentage point, 95% CI [-8.6%, 24.6%]) when applying for Connected Everything funding. These results indicate that more measures should be implemented to support the ethnic minority researchers applying for Connected Everything funding, as well as sense checking there is no unconscious bias in any of the Connected Everything funding processes. The breakdown of the ethnicity diversity of applicants at different stages of the Connected Everything review process (i.e. all applications, applicants invited to panel pitch and awarded feasibility studies) has been plotted in Fig. 5 to help identify where more support is needed. Figure 5 shows an increase in the proportion of white researchers from 54%, 95% CI [45.4%, 61.8%] of all 146 applicants to 66%, 95% CI [52.8%, 79.1%] of the 50 researchers invited to the panel pitch. This suggests that stage 1 of the Connected Everything review process (anonymous review of written applications) may favour white applicants and/or introduce unconscious bias into the process.

Ethnicity questions responses from different stages during the Connected Everything anonymous review process. The total number of applicants is 146, with 50 at the panel stage and 23 ultimately awarded

Under-representation of those from black or minority ethnic backgrounds

Connected Everything appears to have a wide range of ethnic diversity, as shown in Fig. 6 . The ethnicities Asian (18.3%, 95% CI [13.6%, 23.0%]), Black (5.1%, 95% CI [2.4%, 7.7%]), Chinese (12.5%, 95% CI [8.4%, 16.5%]), mixed (3.5%, 95% CI [1.3%, 5.7%]) and other (7.8%, 95% CI [4.5%, 11.1%]) have a higher representation among the 260 individuals engaging with network’s activities, in contrast to both the engineering and technology academic community and the wider UK population. When separating these groups into the original ethnic diversity answers, it becomes apparent that there is no engagement with ‘Black or Black British: Caribbean’, ‘Mixed: White and Black Caribbean’ or ‘Mixed: White and Asian’ researchers within Connected Everything activities. The lack of engagement with researchers from a Caribbean heritage is systemic of a lack of representation within the UK research landscape [ 25 ].

Ethnicity question responses from a total of 260 respondents compared to distribution of the 13,085 UK engineering and technology (E&T) academic staff [ 22 ] and 56 million people recorded in the UK 2011 census data [ 36 ]

Under-representation of disabilities, chronic conditions, invisible illnesses and neurodiversity in funded activities and events.

Figure 7 (A) shows that 5.7%, 95% CI [2.4%, 8.9%] of 194 responses declared a disability. This is higher than the average of engineering and technology academics that identify as disabled (3.4%, 95% CI [3.2%, 3.7%] of 27,730 academics). Between Jan-March 2022, 9.0 million people of working age (16–64) within the UK were identified as disabled by the Office for National Statistics [ 40 ], which is 21% of the working age population [ 27 ]. Considering these statistics, there is a stark under-representation of disabilities, chronic conditions, invisible illnesses and neurodiversity amongst engineering and technology academic staff and those engaging in Connected Everything activities.

Responses to A Disability and B Care responsibilities questions colected from a total of 194 respondents

Between 2015 and 2020 academics that declared a disability have been less successful than academics without a disability in attracting UKRI and EPSRC funding, as shown in Fig. 3 (B). While Fig. 3 (B) shows that those who declare a disability have a higher Connected Everything funding award rate, the number of applicants who declared a disability was too small (< 5) to enable a meaningful discussion regarding this result.

Under-representation of those with care responsibilities in funded activities and events

In response to the care responsibilities question, Fig. 7 (B) shows that 27.3%, 95% CI [21.1%, 33.6%] of 194 respondents identified as carers, which is higher than the 6% of adults estimated to be providing informal care across the UK in a UK Government survey of the 2020/2021 financial year [ 41 ]. However, the ‘informal care’ definition used by the 2021 survey includes unpaid care to a friend or family member needing support, perhaps due to illness, older age, disability, a mental health condition or addiction [ 41 ]. The Connected Everything survey included care responsibilities across the spectrum of care that includes partners, children, other relatives, pets, friends and kin. It is important to consider a wide spectrum of care responsibilities, as key academic events, such as conferences, have previously been demonstrably exclusionary sites for academics with care responsibilities [ 42 ]. Breakdown analysis of the responses to care responsibilities by gender in Fig. 8 reveals that 37.8%, 95% CI [25.3%, 50.3%] of 58 women respondents reported care responsibilities, compared to 22.6%, 95% CI [61.1%, 76.7%] of 136 men respondents. Our findings reinforce similar studies that conclude the burden of care falls disproportionately on female academics [ 43 ].

Responses to care responsibilities when grouped by A 136 males and B 58 females

Figure 3 (D) shows that researchers with careering responsibilities applying for Connected Everything funding have a higher award rate than those researchers applying without care responsibilities. These results suggest that the Connected Everything review process is supportive of researchers with care responsibilities, who have faced barriers in other areas of academia.

Reduced opportunities for ECRs

Early-career researchers (ECRs) represent the transition stage between starting a PhD and senior academic positions. EPSRC defines an ECR as someone who is either within eight years of their PhD award, or equivalent professional training or within six years of their first academic appointment [ 44 ]. These periods exclude any career break, for example, due to family care; health reasons; and reasons related to COVID-19 such as home schooling or increased teaching load. The median age for starting a PhD in the UK is 24 to 25, while PhDs usually last between three and four years [ 45 ]. Therefore, these data would imply that the EPSRC median age of ECRs is between 27 and 37 years. It should be noted, however, that this definition is not ideal and excludes ECRs who may have started their research career later in life.

Connected Everything aims to support ECRs via measures that include mentoring support, workshops, summer schools and podcasts. Figure 9 shows a greater representation of researchers engaging with Connected Everything activities that are aged between 30–44 (62.4%, 95% CI [55.6%, 69.2%] of 194 respondents) when compared to the wider engineering and technology academic community (43.7%, 95% CI [43.1%, 44.3%] of 27,780 academics) and UK population (26.9%, 95% CI [26.9%, 26.9%]).

Age question responses from a total of 194 respondents compared to distribution of the 27,780 UK engineering and technology (E&T) academic staff [ 22 ] and 56 million people recorded in the UK 2011 census data [ 36 ]

High competition for funding has a greater impact on ECRs

Figure 10 shows that the largest age bracket applying for and winning Connected Everything funding is 31–45, whereas 72%, CI 95% [70.1%, 74.5%] of 12,075 researchers awarded EPSRC grants between 2015 and 2021 were 40 years or older. These results suggest that measures introduced by Connected Everything has been successful at providing funding opportunities for researchers who are likely to be early-mid career stage.

Age of researchers at applicant and awarded funding stages for A Connected Everything between 2019–2022 (total of 146 applicants and 23 awarded) and B EPSRC funding between 2015–2021 [ 35 ] (total of 35,780 applicants and 12,075 awarded)

The results of this paper provide insights into the impact that Connected Everything’s planned mitigations have had on promoting equality, diversity, and inclusion (EDI) in research and funding. Collecting EDI data from individuals who engage with network activities and apply for research funding enabled an evaluation of whether these mitigations have been successful in achieving the intended outcomes outlined at the start of the study, as summarised in Table 2 .

The results in Table 2 indicate that Connected Everything’s approach to EDI has helped achieve the intended outcome to improve representation of women, ECRs, those with a declared disability and black/minority ethnic backgrounds engaging with network events when compared to the engineering and technology academic community. In addition, the network has helped raise awareness of the high presence of researchers with care responsibilities at network events, which can help to track progress towards making future events inclusive and accessible towards these carers. The data highlights two areas for improvement: (1) ensuring a gender balance; and (2) increasing representation of those with declared disabilities. Both these discrepancies are indicative of the wider imbalances and underrepresentation of these groups in the engineering and technology academic community [ 26 ], yet represent areas where networks can strive to make a difference. Possible strategies include: using targeted outreach; promoting greater representation of these groups in event speakers; and going further to create a welcoming and inclusive environment. One barrier that can disproportionately affect women researchers is the need to balance care responsibilities with attending network events [ 46 ]. This was reflected in the Connected Everything data that reported 37.8%, 95% CI [25.3%, 50.3%] of women engaging with network activities had care responsibilities, compared to 22.6%, 95% CI [61.1%, 76.7%] of men. Providing accommodations such as on-site childcare, flexible scheduling, or virtual attendance options can therefore help to promote inclusivity and allow more women researchers to attend.

Only 5.7%, 95% CI [2.4%, 8.9%] of responses engaging with Connected Everything declared a disability, which is higher than the engineering and technology academic community (3.4%, 95% CI [3.2%, 3.7%]) [ 26 ], but unrepresentative of the wider UK population. It has been suggested that academics can be uncomfortable when declaring disabilities because scholarly contributions and institutional citizenship are so prized that they feel they cannot be honest about their issues or health concerns and keep them secret [ 47 ]. In research networks, it is important to be mindful of this hidden group within higher education and ensure that measures are put in place to make the network’s activities inclusive to all. Future considerations for accommodations to improve research events inclusivity include: improving physical accessibility of events; providing assistive technology such as screen readers, audio descriptions, and captioning can help individuals with visual or hearing impairments to access and participate; providing sign language interpreters; offering flexible scheduling options; and the provision of quiet rooms, written materials in accessible formats, and support staff trained to work with individuals with cognitive disabilities.

Connected Everything introduced measures (e.g., anonymised reviewing process, Q&A sessions before funding calls, inclusive design of panel pitch) to help address inequalities in how funding is awarded. Table 2 shows success in reducing the dominance of researchers who identify as male and research-intensive universities in winning research funding and that researchers with care responsibilities were more successful at winning funding than those without care responsibilities. The data revealed that the proposed measures were unable to address the inequality in award rates between white and ethnic minority researchers, which is an area to look to improve. The inequality appears to occur during the anonymous review stage, with a greater proportion of white researchers being invited to panel. Recommendations to make the review process fairer include: ensuring greater diversity of reviewers; reviewer anti-bias training; and automatic adjustments to correct for known biases in writing style [ 16 , 32 ].

When reflecting on the development of a strategy to embed EDI throughout the network, Connected Everything has learned several key lessons that may benefit other networks undergoing a similar activity. These include:

EDI is never ‘done’: There is a constant need to review approaches to EDI to ensure they remain relevant to the network community. Connected Everything could review its principles to include the concept of justice in its approach to diversity and inclusion. The concept of justice concerning EDI refers to the removal of systematic barriers that stop fair and equitable distribution of resources and opportunities among all members of society, regardless of their individual characteristics or backgrounds. The principles and subsequent actions could be reviewed against the EDI expectations [ 14 ], paying particular attention to areas where barriers may still be present. For example, shifting from welcoming people into existing structures and culture to creating new structures and culture together, with specific emphasis on decision or advisory mechanisms within the network. This activity could lend itself to focusing more on tailored support to overcome barriers, thus achieving equity, if it is not within the control of the network to remove the barrier itself (justice).

Widen diversity categories: By collecting data on a broad range of characteristics, we can identify and address disparities and biases that might otherwise be overlooked. A weakness of this dataset is that ignores the experience of those with intersectional identities, across race, ethnicity, gender, class, disability and/ or LGBTQI. The Wellcome Trust noted how little was known about the socio-economic background of scientists and researchers [ 48 ].

Collect data on whole research teams: For the first two calls for feasibility study funding, Connected Everything only asked the Principal Investigator to voluntarily provide their data. We realised that this was a limited approach and, in the third call, asked for the data regarding the whole research team to be shared anonymously. Furthermore, we do not currently measure the diversity of our event speakers, panellists or reviewers. Collecting these data in the future will help to ensure the network is accountable and will ensure that all groups are represented during our activities and in the funding decision-making process.

High response rate: Previous surveys measuring network diversity (e.g., [ 7 ]) have struggled to get responses when surveying their memberships; whereas, this study achieved a response rate of 73.8%. We attribute this high response rate to sending EDI data requests on the point of contact with the network (e.g., on submitting funding proposals or after attending network events), rather than trying to survey the entire network membership at anyone point in time.

Improve administration: The administration associated with collecting EDI data requires a commitment to transparency, inclusivity, and continuous improvement. For example, during the first feasibility funding call, Connected Everything made it clear that the review process would be anonymous, but the application form was not in separate documents. This made anonymising the application forms extremely time-consuming. For the subsequent calls, separate documents were created – Part A for identifying information (Principal Investigator contact details, Project Team and Industry collaborators) and Part B for the research idea.

Accepting that this can be uncomfortable: Trying to improve EDI can be uncomfortable because it often requires challenging our assumptions, biases, and existing systems and structures. However, it is essential if we want to make real progress towards equity and inclusivity. Creating processes to support embedding EDI takes time and Connected Everything has found it is rare to get it right the first time. Connected Everything is sharing its learning as widely as possible both to support others in their approaches and continue our learning as we reflect on how to continually improve, even when it is challenging.

Enabling individual engagement with EDI: During this work, Connected Everything recognised that methods for engaging with such EDI issues in research design and delivery are lacking. Connected Everything, with support from the Future Food Beacon of Excellence at the University of Nottingham, set out to develop a card-based tool [ 49 ] to help researchers and stakeholders identify questions around how their work may promote equity and increase inclusion or have a negative impact towards one or more protected groups and how this can be overcome. The results of this have been shared at conference presentations [ 50 ] and will be published later.

While this study provides insights into how EDI can be improved in research network activities and funding processes, it is essential to acknowledge several limitations that may impact the interpretation of the findings.

Sample size and generalisability: A total of 260 responses were received, which may not be representative of our overall network of 500 + members. Nevertheless, this data provides a sense of the current diversity engaging in Connected Everything activities and funding opportunities, which we can compare with other available data to steer action to further diversify the network.

Handling of missing data: Out of the 260 responses, 66 data points were missing for questions regarding age, disability, and caring responsibilities. These questions were mistakenly omitted from a Connected Everything summer school survey, contributing to 62 missing data points. While we assumed the remainer of missing data to be at random during analysis, it's important to acknowledge it could be related to other factors, potentially introducing bias into our results.

Emphasis on quantitative data: The study relies on using quantitative data to evaluate the impact of the EDI measures introduced by Connected Everything. However, relying solely on quantitative metrics may overlook nuanced aspects of EDI that cannot be easily quantified. For example, EDI encompasses multifaceted issues influenced by historical, cultural, and contextual factors. These nuances may not be fully captured by numbers alone. In addition, some EDI efforts may not yield immediate measurable outcomes but still contribute to a more inclusive environment.

Diversity and inclusion are not synonymous: The study proposes 21 measures to contribute towards creating an equal, diverse and inclusive research culture and collects diversity data to measure the impact of these measures. However, while diversity is simpler to monitor, increasing diversity alone does not guarantee equality or inclusion. Even with diverse research groups, individuals from underrepresented groups may still face barriers, microaggressions, or exclusion.

Balancing anonymity and rigour in grant reviews:The proposed anonymous review process proposed by Connected Everything removes personal and organisational details from the research ideas under reviewer evaluation. However, there exists a possibility that a reviewer could discern the identity of the grant applicant based on the research idea. Reviewers are expected to be subject matter experts in the field relevant to the grant proposal they are evaluating. Given the specialised nature of scientific research, it is conceivable that a well-known applicant could be identified through the specifics of the work, the methodologies employed, and even the writing style.

Expanding gender identity options: A limitation of this study emerged from the restricted gender options (male, female, other, prefer not to say) provided to respondents when answering the gender identity question. This limitation reflects the context of data collection in 2018, a time when diversity monitoring guidance was still limited. As our understanding of gender identity evolves beyond binary definitions, future data collection efforts should embrace a more expansive and inclusive approach, recognising the diverse spectrum of gender identities.

In conclusion, this study provides evidence of the effectiveness of a research network's approach to promoting equality, diversity, and inclusion (EDI) in research and funding. By collecting EDI data from individuals who engage with network activities and apply for research funding, this study has shown that the network's initiatives have had a positive impact on representation and fairness in the funding process. Specifically, the analysis reveals that the network is successful at engaging with ECRs, and those with care responsibilities and has a diverse range of ethnicities represented at Connected Everything events. Additionally, the network activities have a more equal gender balance and greater representation of researchers with disabilities when compared to the engineering and technology academic community, though there is still an underrepresentation of these groups compared to the national population.

Connected Everything introduced measures to help address inequalities in how funding is awarded. The measures introduced helped reduce the dominance of researchers who identified as male and research-intensive universities in winning research funding. Additionally, researchers with care responsibilities were more successful at winning funding than those without care responsibilities. However, inequality persisted with white researchers achieving higher award rates than those from ethnic minority backgrounds. Recommendations to make the review process fairer include: ensuring greater diversity of reviewers; reviewer anti-bias training; and automatic adjustments to correct for known biases in writing style.

Connected Everything’s approach to embedding EDI in network activities has already been shared widely with other EPSRC-funded networks and Hubs (e.g. the UKRI Circular Economy Hub and the UK Acoustics Network Plus). The network hopes that these findings will inform broader efforts to promote EDI in research and funding and that researchers, funders, and other stakeholders will be encouraged to adopt evidence-based strategies for advancing this important goal.

Availability of data and materials

The data collected was anonymously, however, it may be possible to identify an individual by combining specific records of the data request form data. Therefore, the study data has been presented in aggregate form to protect the confidential of individuals and the data utilised in this study cannot be made openly accessible due to ethical obligations to protect the privacy and confidentiality of the data providers.

Abbreviations

Early career researcher

Equality, diversity and inclusion

Engineering physical sciences research council

UK research and innovation

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Acknowledgements

The authors would like to acknowledge the support Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) [grant number EP/S036113/1], Connected Everything II: Accelerating Digital Manufacturing Research Collaboration and Innovation. The authors would also like to gratefully acknowledge the Connected Everything Executive Group for their contribution towards developing Connected Everything’s equality, diversity and inclusion strategy.

This work was supported by the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) [grant number EP/S036113/1].

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Food, Water, Waste Research Group, Faculty of Engineering, University of Nottingham, University Park, Nottingham, UK

Oliver J. Fisher

Human Factors Research Group, Faculty of Engineering, University of Nottingham, University Park, Nottingham, UK

Debra Fearnshaw & Sarah Sharples

School of Food Science and Nutrition, University of Leeds, Leeds, UK

Nicholas J. Watson

School of Engineering, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, UK

Peter Green

Centre for Circular Economy, University of Exeter, Exeter, UK

Fiona Charnley

Institute for Manufacturing, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK

Duncan McFarlane

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Contributions

OJF analysed and interpreted the data, and was the lead author in writing and revising the manuscript. DF led the data acquisition and supported the interpretation of the data. DF was also a major contributor to the design of the equality diversity and inclusion (EDI) strategy proposed in this work. NJW supported the design of the EDI strategy and was a major contributor in reviewing and revising the manuscript. PG supported the design of the EDI strategy, and was a major contributor in reviewing and revising the manuscript. FC supported the design of the EDI strategy and the interpretation of the data. DM supported the design of the EDI strategy. SS led the development EDI strategy proposed in this work, and was a major contributor in data interpretation and reviewing and revising the manuscript. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Debra Fearnshaw .

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Fisher, O.J., Fearnshaw, D., Watson, N.J. et al. Promoting equality, diversity and inclusion in research and funding: reflections from a digital manufacturing research network. Res Integr Peer Rev 9 , 5 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1186/s41073-024-00144-w

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