THE ECONOMIC CRISIS AND AFTER

Abstract

This introductory article engages with possibilities for cultural studies during the economic crisis of 2008 and its aftermath. It begins by considering the nature of the crisis and the recovery that follows. It goes on to explore the relationship between cultural studies and economic discourse, arguing that the cultural studies of the economy and the ‘economic’ has always taken place in reference to a specific set of contextual and conjunctural factors. In conclusion, the relationship between the politics of recovery and the possibilities of reconstruction are developed as a possible way of understanding current and future contributions by cultural studies researchers to discussions about the economy.