Popular culture is a site of hegemonic struggle, not mere expression

Evidence

Popular culture is one of the sites where this struggle for and against a culture of the powerful is engaged: it is also the stake to be won or lost in that struggle. It is the arena of consent and resistance. It is partly where hegemony arises, and where it is secured. It is not a sphere where socialism, a socialist culture—already fully formed—might be simply “expressed.” But it is one of the places where socialism might be constituted. That is why “popular culture” matters. Otherwise, to tell you the truth, I don’t give a damn about it. — Hall, Stuart, Essential Essays, Volume 1, 1024

Categorization

• DEFINE: Defines popular culture as an arena of consent and resistance where hegemony is secured, not as a pre-formed socialist content waiting to be expressed.
• DEEPTHINKING: Dense, paradigm-shifting claim that reframes popular culture from expressive content to constitutive battlefield — resists one-sentence summary.