The third issue of iMex explores the various manifestations of Mexican popular culture that above all owes its propagation over the last few decades to new audiovisual media. While pop culture previously already entailed reaching and addressing as many individuals as possible, nowadays it seems to have become omnipresent. Pop culture has many aspects and the possibilities to regard it as a well-integrated and likewise very dynamic element of everyday culture are numerous.
We suggest the following options for a discussion of pop culture:
- A diachronic angle allows for the analysis of the development of Mexican popular culture, especially since the 1960s, and for a critical interrogation of its social influence. What genres, topics and varieties of the past fifty years with regard to pop culture have been defining the development of Mexican culture?
- A synchronic perspective of the current aspects of Mexican pop culture may enable susceptibility to the innovative hybrid forms that have blurred the boundaries between established genres, between art and kitsch, seriousness and carnivalesque nonsense, the sublime and the mundane, tradition and innovation. Which variants of pop culture characterize Mexican contemporary culture?
- From the perspective of cultural theory, popular culture develops in hybrid spaces, in which communication between the known and the foreign is established and globalization and localization are brought together in terms of “glocalisation”. How has this encounter developed in Mexico?
- The past as much as the present leads to the potential of pop culture not only to challenge traditional discourses, but to develop creative alternatives to the governmental understanding of culture and politics in the different arts and media. The opportunity for popular culture as a basis for critical commentary of the current events arises especially during and after the 2010 celebrations (Bicentenario/Centenario) and the upcoming presidential and parliamentary elections in 2012. Furthermore, the latest drug-related crimes are frequently addressed in popular culture (see 'Narcocorrido'). What kind of contribution does popular culture make in regard to those and other contemporary incidents?
- While alternative approaches to Horkheimer’s and Adorno’s still rather harsh criticism of “culture industry” have been developing, the dimensions of economic and media policy or media theory of popular culture should not be forgotten. Indeed, the commercialization of popular culture is at present not denied, however this characteristic is carefully considered with regard to the opportunities of an individualized media use. In addition, the system theory, represented for instance by the sociologist Luhmann, enquires into the relationship between popular mass media and the reality that they are referring to and above all building themselves. Motion pictures, soaps and talk shows - so the theory goes - fill the void that has settled in humans where one previously suspected the soul. Is the potential of popular culture in Mexico in fact depleted as to only the facts that it allows to earn a lot of money, provide amusement and kill time?
Experts in the fields of cultural, literary and media studies as well as those of sociology and political science are invited to send their articles concerning the aforementioned topics and issues to iMex. The final date for submission of articles and reviews is 1st of August 2012 in the format of ‘Microsoft Word 97-2003’ or ‘rtf’ and can be sent to the following email address of Prof. Frank Leinen:
leinen@phil.hhu.de
As a general rule the articles should not exceed 15-18 pages or the equivalent word count of approximately 5000 to 6000 words.
The manuscript should include:
- a summary of up to 200 words
- biographical information of up to 10 lines
- (employment, main research areas, recent publications)
- 5 keywords that identify the content of the article
Editores: Prof. Dr. Vittoria Borsò, Prof. Dr. Frank Leinen, Prof. Dr. Guido Rings, Dr. Yasmin Temelli.