Mission Underway Format: Paperback

The history of the study of popular culture in American academic since its (re)introduction in 1967 is filled with misunderstanding and opposition. From the first, proponents of the study of this major portion of american culture made clear that they were interested in making popular culture a supplement to the usual courses in such fields as literature, sociology, history, philosophy, and the other humanities and social sciences; nobody proposed that study of popular culture replace the other disciplines, but many suggested that it was time to reexamine the accepted courses and see if they were still viable. Opposition to the status quo always causes anxiety and oppostion, but when the issues are clarified, often oppoosition and anxiety melt away, as they are now doing.

Ray B. Browne is professor emeritus of Popular Culture Studies at Bowling Green State University.  Through some sixty books and a variety of initiatives-including the founding of the Journal of Popular Culture, the Popular Culture Association, and the Popular Press itself-he has played an instrumental role in making popular culture a topic of serious inquiry.