Taking Seriously the Unserious in Resistance: The subversive force of pop culture in non-Western states

Political science considers itself a ‘serious’ discipline. As such, the political potential of popular cultural productions has been overlooked and become a footnote to more traditionally important matters within the field. In today’s world where political leaders tweet and appear on podcasts and Saturday Night Live, where election campaigns and protest movements are carried out on digital platforms like YouTube and Instagram in collaboration with celebrities such as Taylor Swift and Cardi B, the strength of popular culture in political theorisation and political activism needs to be recognised. In fact, the entertainability and unseriousness of popular culture is precisely why it could be politically effective. Papers in this panel consider the question of ‘How do different forms of popular culture subvert hegemony and resist political oppression?’ from a diverse range of theoretical, empirical, and geographical perspectives. Panellists aim to explore how various forms of popular culture—such as vlogs, music, comedy, and more—serve as tools of resistance against ideological and political oppression in restrictive, non-liberal societies, ranging across North Korea, China, Russia, Iran and South America, in non-violent, tacit, individual and creative ways. Panellists wish to emphasise the importance of taking these popular cultural forms seriously in political and International Relations (IR) studies, beyond their traditional perception as mere entertainment.