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culturalstudies.bsky.social
Cultural Studies - Published by Routledge
@culturalstudies.bsky.social
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Cultural Studies is a field-defining, peer-reviewed journal published 6x/year by Routledge | Nabil Echchaibi & Ted Striphas, Coeditors

https://www.tandfonline.com/toc/rcus20/current
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We thank Job Olego Anomet for sharing this artwork with us, for the ways that it resonates with this issue’s theme of “Cultures of Water: Heritage, Environment and Society,” and for being a part of our ongoing cover art series on “Against Extraction: Desires for Life-Sustaining Futures.”
The third and final image is a full-size version of the artwork. As described in the first image, the art features a spiral design that entwines iconography of water—an ocean with fish, river within an ocean, a water faucet—with symbols of the land, including a farm, vegetables in the dirt, and trees growing from the soil.
November 14, 2025 at 6:26 PM
culturalstudies.bsky.social
His artist biography that he shared with us reads: “Job Olego Anomet (he/him), also known as Jobray, is a graffiti artist, stained glass artist, painter, designer, and illustrator based in Kampala, Uganda.”
The second image is titled “About the Artist: Job Olego Anomet,” and it features a biography for the artist: “Job Olego Anomet (he/him), also known as Jobray, is a graffiti artist, stained glass artist, painter, designer, and illustrator based in Kampala, Uganda. Working independently as a freelance artist and muralist, Jobray creates powerful visual stories that reflect his imagination and the vibrant, everyday experiences of life. Jobray is dedicated to sharing his expertise, providing mentorship to emerging artists and fostering a community of creativity and learning, for example, through the Sitoole-Ki Murals project.” The bottom of the graphic includes details about where else to find the artist: “Instagram: @jobray_arts & @sitoole_ki_murals” and “Email: jobrayarts94@gmail.com”
November 14, 2025 at 6:26 PM
culturalstudies.bsky.social
In our concluding post for Volume 39, Issue 5 of Cultural Studies—a special issue on the topic of “Cultures of Water: Heritage, Environment and Society”—we would like to once more share with you the cover artwork of this issue: “Agriculture Is Fruitful” by Job Olego Anomet.
This graphic is titled “Featured Cover Art.” It then specifies the title of the artistic piece, “Agriculture Is Fruitful”; the author’s name, “By Job Olego Anomet”; and the issue information, “For Volume 39, Issue 5 (2025).” The featured piece of artwork prominently shows a spiral design that entwines iconography of water—an ocean with fish, river within an ocean, a water faucet—with symbols of the land, including a farm, vegetables in the dirt, and trees growing from the soil.
November 14, 2025 at 6:26 PM
culturalstudies.bsky.social
3) Rosie Nguyen’s review of “Sex Work in Popular Culture” by Lauren Kirshner: www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....
The fourth and final image is titled “A Peek Inside Rosie Nguyen’s Review of: Sex Work in Popular Culture by Lauren Kirshner” At the bottom is an excerpt from the book review: “Throughout history, sex work has remained a sensitive and controversial topic. However, in recent decades, there has been a significant shift in how lawmakers, the media, and the public perceive sex work. One of the most evident aspects reflecting this change is in the media portrayals of sex work over time. In her recent book, Sex Work in Popular Culture, Lauren Kirshner analyzes these shifts with rich evidence and engaging prose. Through meticulous analysis, Lauren Kirshner demonstrates her central argument: popular culture does not simply commodify sex work for entertainment but functions as a contested site of labor representation, exposing the hidden struggles of sex workers and reflecting emerging debates surrounding this work. The book is divided into seven chapters, with the first chapter providing a brief review of feminist theories of sex work and the methodologies of feminist media studies, laying the groundwork for the analyses that follow. [...]”
November 12, 2025 at 11:27 PM
culturalstudies.bsky.social
2) Raphaela Pavlakos’ review of “Settler Colonial Ways of Seeing: Documentation, Administration, and the Interventions of Indigenous Art” by Danielle Taschereau Mamers: www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....
The third image is titled “A Peek Inside Raphaela Pavlakos’ Review of: Settler Colonial Ways of Seeing: Documentation, Administration, and the Interventions of Indigenous Art by Danielle Taschereau Mamers.” At the bottom is an excerpt from the book review: “Media Studies scholar, Danielle Taschereau Mamers’ Settler Colonial Ways of Seeing: Documentation, Administration, and the Interventions of Indigenous Art is a book about documents, particularly how colonial states use documents to record and maintain identity, and how Indigenous folks in (what is colonially called) Canada are re-appropriating, re-writing, and rupturing these documents to Indigenize colonial institutions. This book is a critical intervention into political conversations surrounding the Indian Act, Canada’s tenuous relationship with Indigenous communities, and what it means to be an Indigenous person in contemporary Canada through the discussion and unpacking of art from Indigenous artists like Robert Houle (Kaa-wii-kwe-tawang-kak/Sandy Bay First Nation), Nadia Myre (Kitigan Zibi Anishnabeg First Nation), Cheryl L’Hirondelle (amiskwaciy wâskahikan and Kikino Métis), and Rebecca Belmore (Obishikokaang/Lac Seul First Nation). Mamers argues that artistic production is a space where Indigenous sovereignty can be found and re-imagined [...]”
November 12, 2025 at 11:27 PM
culturalstudies.bsky.social
1) Haniyeh Pasandi’s review of “Contemporary Feminist Art by Women in North Africa” by Ramona Mielusel: www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....
The second image is titled “A Peek Inside Haniyeh Pasandi’s Review of: Contemporary Feminist Art by Women in North Africa by Ramona Mielusel.” At the bottom is an excerpt from the book review: “In Contemporary Feminist Art by Women in North Africa, Ramona Mielusel provides a timely and significant contribution to the fields of Francophone North African studies, contemporary feminist theory, and visual culture. Through a nuanced analysis of six female artists working across a range of media, the monograph examines how gender, identity, and power intersect through visual representation. Mielusel's focus on Majida Khattari, Lalla Essaydi, Zoulikha Bouabdellah, Déborah Benzaquen, Fatima Mazmouz, and Zaïnab Fasiki is grounded in their shared connection to Morocco and the Maghreb more broadly, and in their engagement with transnational feminist discourse through a distinctly North African lens. Mielusel offers new insights into the complexity of Maghrebi women's artistic production in both local and diasporic contexts while focusing on the intersectionality aspect of each artwork. The artists are primarily of Moroccan origin, with Bouabdellah from Algeria. They work in both local and diasporic contexts, including France and the United States. [...]”
November 12, 2025 at 11:27 PM
culturalstudies.bsky.social
Volume 39, Issue 5 of Cultural Studies includes six book reviews. We would like to feature the concluding three today, written by Haniyeh Pasandi, Raphaela Pavlakos, and Rosie Nguyen. Learn more about each their book reviews below:
This graphic is titled “Book Reviews,” followed by the subtitle, “Part 2 • Volume 39, Issue 5 (2025).” There are three boxes with text beneath, each corresponding to one of the book reviews. The first box has the heading, “Contemporary Feminist Art by Women in North Africa by Ramona Mielusel”; beneath it in smaller text, reads: “Review by Haniyeh Pasandi.” The second box is titled, “Settler Colonial Ways of Seeing: Documentation, Administration, and the Interventions of Indigenous Art by Danielle Taschereau Mamers”; beneath it in smaller text, reads: “Review by Raphaela Pavlakos.” The third and final box has the heading, “Sex Work in Popular Culture by Lauren Kirshner”; beneath it in smaller text, reads: “Review by Rosie Nguyen.”
November 12, 2025 at 11:27 PM
culturalstudies.bsky.social
3) Skyler Meeks’ review of "Black Iconoclasm: Public Symbols, Racial Progress, and Post/Ferguson America” by Charles Athanasopoulos: www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....
The fourth and final image is titled “A Peek Inside Skyler Meeks’ Review of: Black Iconoclasm: Public Symbols, Racial Progress, and Post/Ferguson America by Charles Athanasopoulos.” At the bottom is an excerpt from the book review: “From Confederate statues to corporate slogans, iconoclasm is often seen as the final act of resistance – a decisive blow against the icons of oppression. But what if toppling a statue or exposing ideologic failures marks only the beginning? In Black Iconoclasm: Public Symbols, Racial Progress, and Post/Ferguson America, Charles Athanasopoulos reframes iconoclasm not as an endpoint, but as a liminal practice of disruption. Moving beyond the destruction of symbols, which ‘are reduced to the search for an action, a thinker, a movement, or an object that signifies a pure symbol of resistance to power,’ Athanasopoulos’s concept of Black iconoclasm challenges Western notions of purity and progress (31). It, instead, embraces messy, unresolved tensions where radical possibilities coexist with residues of racial oppression. In doing so, Athanasopoulos positions Black iconoclasm as a critical, liminal orientation toward racial progress narratives [...]”
November 10, 2025 at 6:13 PM
culturalstudies.bsky.social
2) Vivien J. Bediako’s review of "Migration, Crisis and Temporality at the Zimbabwe-South Africa Border: Governing Immobilities” by Kudakwashe Vanyoro: www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....
The third image is titled “A Peek Inside Vivien J. Bediako’s Review of: Migration, Crisis and Temporality at the Zimbabwe-South Africa Border: Governing Immobilities by Kudakwashe Vanyoro.” At the bottom is an excerpt from the book review: “In Migration, Crisis and Temporality at the Zimbabwe-South Africa Border: Governing Immobilities, Kudakwashe Vanyoro examines the (im)mobilities, disrupted journeys and survival migration experiences of black Zimbabwean men to post-apartheid South Africa in the wake of Zimbabwe’s political and economic crises. The book focuses on the men’s precarious living conditions in the border town of Musina, South Africa, which has become the geographic stronghold of the humanitarian enterprise. The roles of humanitarian organizations in managing these border migrants to assert agency in their everyday lives are also explored, reinforcing the power imbalances between government, humanitarian actors, and unauthorized migrants within the restrictive migration policies of the South African government. [...]”
November 10, 2025 at 6:13 PM
culturalstudies.bsky.social
1) “Breaking Through the Silence of Structural Heteropatriarchy,” the title of Mattie Hamilton’s review of “Complaint!” by Sara Ahmed: www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....
The second image is titled “A Peek Inside Mattie Hamilton’s “Breaking Through the Silence of Structural Heteropatriarchy,” a review of Complaint! by Sara Ahmed.” At the bottom is an excerpt from the book review: ““Sara Ahmed’s Complaint! functions as a compelling testimony, delving into the intricate dynamics of how patriarchal abuses of power contribute to institutional change. Through meticulous scrutiny, Ahmed reveals the underlying realities of policies and protocols within academic settings, scrutinizes the treatments of complainants, and celebrates the arduous journey towards justice despite its anguishing ramifications. Exploring the way in which lending a feminist ear can be used as an institutional tactic to shatter structures of power, she states that: ‘“To hear complaints, you have to dismantle the barriers that stop us from hearing complaints, and by barriers, I am referring to institutional barriers, the walls, the doors that render so much of what is said, what is done, invisible and inaudible. If you have to dismantle barriers to hear complaints, hearing complaints can make you more aware of those barriers. In other words, hearing complaints can also be how you learn how complaints are not heard.” (p. 6)’.”
November 10, 2025 at 6:13 PM
culturalstudies.bsky.social
Volume 39, Issue 5 of Cultural Studies includes six book reviews, and we would like to feature the first three today, written by Mattie Hamilton, Vivien J. Bediako, and Skyler Meeks. Learn more about each their book reviews below:
This graphic is titled “Book Reviews,” followed by the subtitle, “Part 1 • Volume 39, Issue 5 (2025).” There are three boxes with text beneath, each corresponding to one of the book reviews. The first box has the heading, “Breaking Through the Silence of Structural Heteropatriarchy - Reviewing Complaint! by Sara Ahmed”; beneath it in smaller text, reads: “Review by Mattie Hamilton.” The second box is titled, “Migration, Crisis and Temporality at the Zimbabwe-South Africa Border: Governing Immobilities by Kudakwashe Vanyoro”; beneath it in smaller text, reads: “Review by Vivien J. Bediako.” The third and final box has the heading, “Black Iconoclasm: Public Symbols, Racial Progress, and Post/Ferguson America by Charles Athanasopoulos”; beneath it in smaller text, reads: “Review by Skyler Meeks.”
November 10, 2025 at 6:13 PM
culturalstudies.bsky.social
“The Historical Uses of the Oceans: The Anthropocene in the First Global Age (1500–1800)?” by Amélia Polónia is the seventh and final article in Volume 39, Issue 5, a special issue on the theme of “Cultures of Water: Heritage, Environment and Society": www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....
This graphic primarily features text. The first text reads, “New Article • Current Issue,” and then it shares the title of the article: “The Historical Uses of the Oceans: The Anthropocene in the First Global Age (1500–1800)?” The bottom of the graphic then specifies the author and issue information: “Amélia Polónia” and “Volume 39, Issue 5 (2025).”
November 6, 2025 at 10:17 PM
culturalstudies.bsky.social
Ana Gago and Diogo Marques’ article “‘MOIRA: (Re)Making Algarve’s Culture(s) of Water Through Mixed Media Arts” is the sixth article featured in Volume 39, Issue 5, a special issue on the topic of “Cultures of Water: Heritage, Environment and Society": www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....
This graphic primarily features text. The first text reads, “New Article • Current Issue,” and then it shares the title of the article: “MOIRA: (Re)Making Algarve’s Culture(s) of Water Through Mixed Media Arts.” The bottom of the graphic then specifies the author and issue information: “Ana Gago and Diogo Marques” and “Volume 39, Issue 5 (2025).”
November 4, 2025 at 10:33 PM
culturalstudies.bsky.social
“The Use of Historical Ponds in Political Campaigns in the Czech Republic” by Michal Vokurka is the fifth article in Volume 39, Issue 5, a special issue on the theme of Cultures of Water: Heritage, Environment and Society.  Subscribers can read the article here: www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....
This graphic primarily features text. The first text reads, “New Article • Current Issue,” and then it shares the title of the article: “The Use of Historical Ponds in Political Campaigns in the Czech Republic.” The bottom of the graphic then specifies the author and issue information: “Michal Vokurka” and “Volume 39, Issue 5 (2025)”
October 30, 2025 at 5:55 PM
culturalstudies.bsky.social
The second open access article featured from Volume 39, Issue 5 of Cultural Studies—a special issue on “Cultures of Water: Heritage, Environment and Society”—is “Siren Call of the Sea: Disenchantment and Estrangement of Seafarers” by Johanna Markkula: www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....
This graphic primarily features text. The first text reads, “New Article • Current Issue,” and then it shares the title of the article: “Siren Call of the Sea: Disenchantment and Estrangement of Seafarers.” The bottom of the graphic then specifies the author, issue, and access information: “Johanna Markkula,” ”Volume 39, Issue 5 (2025),” and “Open Access Article.”
October 28, 2025 at 6:17 PM
culturalstudies.bsky.social
The third article in Issue 39.5— a special issue on “Cultures of Water: Heritage, Environment and Society”—is António Ferreira’s “The Predicaments of Craftsmanship in the Knowledge Economy: The Rise and Fall of Caminha’s Boatyards in Caminha, Portugal": www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....
This graphic primarily features text. The first text reads, “New Article • Current Issue,” and then it shares the title of the article: “The Predicaments of Craftsmanship in the Knowledge Economy: The Rise and Fall of Caminha’s Boatyards in Caminha, Portugal.” The bottom of the graphic then specifies the author and issue information: “António Ferreira” and “Volume 39, Issue 5 (2025).”
October 23, 2025 at 8:00 PM
culturalstudies.bsky.social
“Matching and Mismatching Times in the Fisheries of South Brittany. Crises in Marine Ecosystems as Seen Through the Lens of Architecture, 1887–1927” by André Tavares & Alice Nouvet is the second article featured in Issue 39.5, a special issue on “Cultures of Water: Heritage, Environment and Society”
This graphic primarily features text. The first text reads, “New Article • Current Issue,” and then it shares the title of the article: “Matching and Mismatching Times in the Fisheries of South Brittany. Crises in Marine Ecosystems as Seen Through the Lens of Architecture, 1887–1927.” The bottom of the graphic then specifies the author, issue, and access information: “André Tavares and Alice Nouvet,” “Volume 39, Issue 5 (2025),” and “Open Access Article.”
October 21, 2025 at 10:34 PM
culturalstudies.bsky.social
Read “Interweaving Environment, Heritage, and Society Through Cultures of Water. An Introduction” here: www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....
The second image is titled “Abstract,” and it includes the abstract for the article: “Cultures of Water provide a particularly useful lens through which to perceive environment, heritage and society in conjunction within the scope of cultural studies, with special consideration for an essential and powerful actor: water. This special issue provides examples of a myriad of perspectives, manifestations and consequences of what Cultures and Water have been, are, and can be. This introduction delivers an overview of the special issue, while also proposing ways that Cultures of Water can more broadly be seen as a connector and a useful concept for further studies.” At the bottom of the graphic, it reads: “Continue Reading at the Link in Our Description.”
October 16, 2025 at 8:13 PM
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The first article in Volume 39, Issue 5 of Cultural Studies—a special issue on “Cultures of Water: Heritage, Environment and Society”—was provided by the guest editors of this issue: Kim Carlotta von Schönfeld, Ana Clara Roberti, Bruno Lopes, and Gisele C. Conceição.
This graphic primarily features text. The first text reads, “New Article • Current Issue,” and then it shares the title of the article: “Interweaving Environment, Heritage, and Society Through Cultures of Water. An Introduction” The bottom of the graphic then specifies the author and issue information: “Kim Carlotta von Schönfeld, Ana Clara Roberti, Bruno Lopes, and Gisele C. Conceição • Volume 39, Issue 5 (2025).”
October 16, 2025 at 8:13 PM
culturalstudies.bsky.social
Volume 39, Issue 5 of Cultural Studies is a special issue guest edited by Kim Carlotta von Schönfeld, Ana Clara Roberti, Bruno Lopes, and Gisele C. Conceição on the theme of “Cultures of Water: Heritage, Environment and Society”: www.tandfonline.com/toc/rcus20/3...
This graphic primarily features both text and artwork. The text begins with “Cultural Studies” and shares the issue information: Volume 39, Number 5” and “September 2025.” The artwork features a spiral design that entwines iconography of water—an ocean with fish, river within an ocean, a water faucet—with symbols of the land, including a farm, vegetables in the dirt, and trees growing from the soil.
October 14, 2025 at 6:23 PM
culturalstudies.bsky.social
Before we post about Issue 5, we would like to invite you to follow along on whichever social media platform(s) you prefer:
• Instagram: www.instagram.com/culturalstudiesjournal
• LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/cultural-studies

Thank you for following us here and sharing this space with us.
Titled "Cultural Studies: Where Else to Find Us," this graphic includes artwork from the most recent issue’s cover and written information about where to find Cultural Studies on Instagram, LinkedIn, and Bluesky. All written information is also included in the caption of the post.
September 30, 2025 at 7:12 PM
culturalstudies.bsky.social
We would like to thank Rosy Cortez for being a part of our cover art series on the theme “Against Extraction: Desires for Life-Sustaining Futures.”
 
To see more, you can find her on Instagram at @PaintedRosy or through her website: www.paintedrosy.com
The third and final image is a full-size version of the artwork. As described in the first image, the artwork, from bottom to top, includes wildflowers at the bottom border, a dove flying upwards, and then a row of doves that becomes an interlocking pattern.
September 26, 2025 at 6:16 PM
culturalstudies.bsky.social
Continued artist bio: "She is an active community artist and arts advocate throughout the Inland Empire, creating art for and with community. Her work often explores themes from culture, femininity, and nature. She sees the act of creating as a catalyst for healing and empowering her community.”
The second image is titled “About the Artist: Rosy Cortez,” and it features a biography for the artist: “Rosy Cortez (she/her) is a Chicana oil painter and muralist based in Riverside, CA. She is an active community artist and arts advocate throughout the Inland Empire, creating art for and with community. Her work often explores themes from culture, femininity, and nature. She sees the act of creating as a catalyst for healing and empowering her community.” It also shares Rosy’s Instagram, website, and email, which are all included in the post caption.
September 26, 2025 at 6:16 PM
culturalstudies.bsky.social
In our concluding post for Volume 39, Issue 4 of Cultural Studies, we would like to share with you once more the cover artwork for this issue: “Imagine” by Rosy Cortez.
 
Her artist bio begins: “Rosy Cortez (she/her) is a Chicana oil painter and muralist based in Riverside, CA."
This graphic is titled “Featured Cover Art.” It then specifies the title of the artistic piece, “Imagine”; the author’s name, “by Rosy Cortez”; and the issue information, “For Volume 39, Issue 4 (2025)”. The featured piece of artwork, from bottom to top, includes wildflowers at the bottom border, a dove flying upwards, and then a row of doves that becomes an interlocking pattern.
September 26, 2025 at 6:16 PM
culturalstudies.bsky.social
“NFTs and the Financialization of Art” by Barbara Jenkins is the seventh and final article included in Volume 39, Issue 4 of Cultural Studies: www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....
This graphic primarily features text. The first text reads, “New Article • Current Issue,” and then it shares the title of the article: “NFTs and the Financialization of Art.” The bottom of the graphic then specifies the author and issue information: “Barbara Jenkins • Volume 39, Issue 4 (2025).”
September 23, 2025 at 5:23 PM