http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/keyword/popular-culture Inquiries Journal provides undergraduate and graduate students around the world a platform for the wide dissemination of academic work over a range of core disciplines. en-us Fri, 15 May 2026 04:42:56 -0400 Fri, 15 May 2026 04:42:56 -0400 http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1879/sensationalism-of-trauma-in-american-film-and-literature By Clare M. Nee - The Virgin Suicides written by Jeffrey Eugenides, as well as Sofia Coppola’s film adaptation, utilize the literary and cinematic tropes of suicide to explore female suicides as romantic notions and assertions of agency within the teenage world of five sisters. In a world in which suicide and mental illness are rapidly on the rise, one might ask: is it ethical to use suicide merely as a plot device to explore a narrative other than its own? The novel and film adaptation use suicide as a vehicle to exploit and sexualize the adolescent female body through a voyeuristic, collective male narrative... Fri, 19 Feb 2021 11:43 EST http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1879/sensationalism-of-trauma-in-american-film-and-literature http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1873/propaganda-idealism-and-subculture-the-evolution-of-che-guevaras-image-in-chinese-cultural-memory By Linda Gao - Being a worldwide popular icon, the Argentine Marxist revolutionary Ernesto “Che” Guevara has been differently re-appropriated by a variety of movements across the globe; but his reception and symbolization in contemporary China has been less discussed by western scholars. This paper examines the image and reception of Che Guevara in Chinese cultural memory from the 1950s to the present, revealing his manifold significations endowed by different social groups in various historical contexts. He evolved from a propagandized model of the socialist revolution and anti-American hero endorsed... Tue, 09 Feb 2021 02:42 EST http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1873/propaganda-idealism-and-subculture-the-evolution-of-che-guevaras-image-in-chinese-cultural-memory http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1814/recycled-tropes-and-the-persistence-of-islamophobia-in-american-films By Meagen Tajalle - In this essay, I provide a content analysis of commercially and critically successful films that perpetuate popularized Islamophobia, which is often masked as irreconcilable religious and cultural difference although it has in fact been consistently manufactured and weaponized throughout history in order to further Western empirical interests. Recycled tropes and stereotypes in cinematic depictions can be traced back to historical orientalism and political Islamophobia, both of which were instrumental in garnering support for the War on Terror. Specifically, I examine the racial, religious, and... Sat, 10 Oct 2020 08:43 EDT http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1814/recycled-tropes-and-the-persistence-of-islamophobia-in-american-films http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1716/globalization-of-chinese-online-literature-understanding-transnational-reading-of-chinese-xuanhuan-novels-among-english-readers By Yuxi Wang - Since its emergence in the 19th century, fantasy fiction has proliferated throughout the world, from the global craze of Lord of the Rings (1954) to Harry Potter (1997). As a sub-genre of fantasy based on Chinese traditional mythology and martial arts literature, Xuanhuan novels have achieved immense popularity among both critics and readers (Gai, 2006). The appearance of the first Xuanhuan novel written by Huang Yi, A Step into the Past (1994), which combined science fiction, time travel, historical military and martial art elements, started a process which has caused this genre to sweep through... Thu, 21 Dec 2017 10:10 EST http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1716/globalization-of-chinese-online-literature-understanding-transnational-reading-of-chinese-xuanhuan-novels-among-english-readers http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1701/the-feminine-threat-reconsidering-the-damsel-in-distress-in-early-disney-films By Hugo Ljungback - “Disney perpetuated a male myth through his fairy-tale films,” argues Jack Zipes (1995, p. 37). He writes that Walt Disney framed “women’s lives through a male discourse” in his films (p. 36), and that he reinforced “nineteenth-century patriarchal notions” and “benevolent attitudes toward women” (p. 37). This paper looks at Walt Disney Pictures films released in the 30-year period between 1937 and 1967, from the company’s first feature-length film, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, to The Jungle Book, the last film Walt Disney himself... Mon, 06 Nov 2017 09:52 EST http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1701/the-feminine-threat-reconsidering-the-damsel-in-distress-in-early-disney-films http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1423/the-danish-girl-2015-and-the-deconstruction-of-gender-identity By Annalena Lorenz - Before, however, Lili’s “ailment” was merely referred to as insanity, schizophrenia, homosexuality or indeed perversion, a condition which needed to be cured by imposing the most extreme measures, such as radiotherapy. The pathologization persists, albeit under a different name (Gender Identity Disorder) and with less immoral remedies being prescribed. In other words, gender identity still is, and is likely to remain for yet some time to come, a prevailing issue in today’s discourse, while scholars and activists alike persist in their endeavour to change society’s... Tue, 14 Jun 2016 11:05 EDT http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1423/the-danish-girl-2015-and-the-deconstruction-of-gender-identity http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1475/yoga-on-instagram-disseminating-or-destroying-traditional-yogic-principles By Skyler Cowans - Today, more than 15 million Americans practice yoga, making the ancient Indian discipline synonymous with the Western society's culture of wellness. As a way to market themselves, practitioners and instructors of yoga have utilized Instagram – and its more than 300 million accounts – to virtually share their favorite poses, sequences, and yogic philosophies. This paper examines the popular culture of yoga on Instagram and how it relates to the ancient Indian traditions of which the practice was built upon. The study found that while some observed themes of yoga on Instagram reflected... Tue, 31 May 2016 12:00 EDT http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1475/yoga-on-instagram-disseminating-or-destroying-traditional-yogic-principles http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1449/analyzing-female-gender-roles-in-marvel-comics-from-the-silver-age-1960-to-the-present By Katherine J. Murphy - Comic books, a form of American popular culture, offer a window into the past, allowing researchers to track societal changes over several decades. The purpose of this study was to determine if, how, and how much female gender roles have changed in Marvel Comics from the Silver Age (1960) to the present (2014) to help understand how popular culture portrays and treats female characters. It was hypothesized that female gender roles in Marvel Comics in the last decade have become less stereotypical and more equitable as compared to the 1960s, as determined by the sevenpoint quantifiable rubric.... Tue, 31 May 2016 12:00 EDT http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1449/analyzing-female-gender-roles-in-marvel-comics-from-the-silver-age-1960-to-the-present http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/937/the-modern-memoir-popular-confession-and-how-it-sells-a-million-little-pieces By Edward A. Carr - In this context, the reasons that Frey would manipulate key aspects of his memoir are straightforward: in order to make the story more dramatic and compelling, to get his story published, and to sell many copies. In The Limits of Biography: Trauma and Testimony, Leigh Gilmore looks at the emerging popularity of memoir and its relation to trauma culture. Gilmore notes that “the literary market has proved a shaping force. Although it is unclear whether the market has led or followed, market demand currently encourages marketing practices such as subtitling an author’s first book &ldquo... Tue, 04 Nov 2014 05:18 EST http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/937/the-modern-memoir-popular-confession-and-how-it-sells-a-million-little-pieces http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/879/making-sense-of-memes-where-they-came-from-and-why-we-keep-clicking-them By Marion Provencher Langlois - The word meme has changed since its creation by Dawkins. It now refers, in Internet language, to pictures, sounds, videos or websites that are shared or reproduced from person to person through social media and user-generated content websites like Facebook, Twitter, Youtube, Tumblr, Reddit, etc. This examination considers Internet memes that are composed of an image, either an illustration or a photograph, accompanied by text. Under this form only what is written changes. This way, a new story or a new joke is created, however with the restriction of having to use the same image and the same framework... Fri, 28 Mar 2014 09:45 EDT http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/879/making-sense-of-memes-where-they-came-from-and-why-we-keep-clicking-them http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/836/anime-from-cult-following-to-pop-culture-phenomenon By Samantha Nicole Inëz Chambers - This study examined the scope of influence that Japanese anime had on American people born in the '80s and '90s. Relying on secondary research and a survey using a convenience sample of 107 students and young adults, this study found that anime conveys a negative image associated with violence and fringe culture, but people see anime as more of an art form than tasteless violent film. The study also found that piracy, though not overly common, was still practiced in the case of Japanese media, but some major studios are not impeding these fansubbing (fan-made subtitles) movements. They believe... Sat, 14 Dec 2013 11:24 EST http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/836/anime-from-cult-following-to-pop-culture-phenomenon http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/633/the-lost-soundtrack-an-analysis By Danielle D. Ayer - This understanding includes the ways in which popular culture and societal structures affect characters both individually and as a group. Continually, this heightened understanding compels viewers to become better viewers by becoming active or more involved in the process. Furthermore, music also acts as a medium that binds all of the characters to each other, and in turn the viewers as well—music and performance are key elements that make up the fabric of popular culture, and our continual understanding and reference to it only makes viewing more active through the process of cultural communication... Wed, 11 Apr 2012 10:49 EDT http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/633/the-lost-soundtrack-an-analysis http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/570/dexter-democracy-and-nietzsche-puzzling-through-the-deep-end-of-americas-tv-obsession By Maxwell G. Mensinger - Within the milieu of American television, the vigilante serial killer, Dexter, stands alone with one of the largest audiences. Why should a violent antihero, who stalks and kills other serial killers, be so appealing to Americans with a democratic, law-abiding background? Does this suggest a growing lack of confidence in the American justice system? Or does it provide cathartic satisfactions of dark, deep-seated urges muffled by democratic laws? Specifically, what characterizes this disciplined vigilante, and what motivates him to kill? More importantly, do antihero extraordinaires like Dexter... Tue, 06 Sep 2011 08:05 EDT http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/570/dexter-democracy-and-nietzsche-puzzling-through-the-deep-end-of-americas-tv-obsession http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/253/exploring-japanese-popular-culture-as-a-soft-power-resource By Michael J. Norris - This essay argues that Japan does not derive soft power from its popular culture. After defining soft power, the essay assesses the attraction of Japanese cultural export to audiences. The essay gauges such attraction through a consideration of the levels of cultural export, the rise of otaku sub-culture and the increase in foreign Japanese language students. By investigating these three factors, the essay attempts to quantitatively measure evidence of attraction to Japan. However, Japanese popular culture does not provide Japan with soft power; the quantitative attraction to Japanese cultural... Mon, 17 May 2010 08:05 EDT http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/253/exploring-japanese-popular-culture-as-a-soft-power-resource http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/247/vampires-the-ever-changing-face-of-fear By Tori E. Godfree - In the past two-hundred or so years, vampires have transformed from a sort of worst nightmare into the charming hero of our dreams. Flashback to 1734, Oxford English Dictionary’s first record of the word vampire: they were generally and, depending on geographical location, inconsistently thought to be red-faced, fat on blood, furry of foot, and may or may not have possessed more than one nostril. Fast-forward to present: their impossibly pale, perfectly sculpted faces and delicate fangs adorn best-selling book covers and box-office hit movie posters. This is quite the makeover, and these... Fri, 07 May 2010 07:05 EDT http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/247/vampires-the-ever-changing-face-of-fear http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/57/making-contact-the-photographers-interface-with-the-world By Kia M. Carbone - Walter Benjamin (1892-1940), a key twentieth-century cultural theorist, has been influential in various fields, including art and literary criticism. He wrote “The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction” in 1935 to examine revolutionary changes in the arts due to monumental advances in technology associated with modernity. He argues that in the age of mechanical reproduction, art becomes reproducible and thereby gradually loses its traditional and ritualistic value, causing it to lose “aura” and “authenticity.”[1] About a century earlier, Karl Marx... Wed, 18 Nov 2009 04:24 EST http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/57/making-contact-the-photographers-interface-with-the-world