Studying Ourselves
Students and researchers of popular culture saytheir field is plagued by an insidious feelingthat studying popular culture is not anintellectual challenge.
"[Skeptics say] it's studying yourself, andtherefore intellectually bankrupt. Studyingyourself is too easy," Vaux says.
Some resist using the term "popular culture" todescribe their work. Stilgoe, who devotes anentire lecture to the evolution of Coca-Colaadvertisements, says "popular culture" isdifficult to define.
"Everything I do tends to touch on whatAmericans have in common," he says. "But commonculture is not popular culture."
Layton says she hopes the study of popularculture will be more widely accepted in thefuture.
"I think it is very important to be able tounderstand and decode the bombardment of imagesthat we live with," she says.