Abstract

A few decades ago, a field of research called cultural studies suddenly experienced a surge of interest. Why? There are many reasons why it is worth taking a closer look. At first glance, you might think it was simply a fad at the time. Fashions are an omnipresent phenomenon in science, as in all areas of contemporary activity. There, too, they serve to attract public attention with a newly used name and stimulating presentation, which is ultimately suitable for attracting research funding. But in the case of cultural studies, there is more to it than that: Embedded in the broad field of social sciences and economics, cultural studies initially represented a promise; the promise to bridge the gap that had arisen between the other, traditional sub-disciplines, to fill it with specifically understood content. It is this project, the more precise description of this empty space between the disciplines, where and why the latter have such abrupt, sharp boundaries and how cultural studies can become a bridge here that this paper is concerned with.