當代的文化研究是許多重要的理論發展的一部份，這些理論包括社會學理論、人類學、馬克思主義、女性主義和語言學、文學理論等。文化研究主要是從1964年代從英國學術圈（批判理論與文學批評）開始發展而出而後在世界學術圈廣傳。文化研究是一門跨學科傾向的學門，因此包含不同的學術取向與研究方法。受到西方馬克思主義的影響，知識份子開始討論工人階級的文化，並從文學評論與文化分析著手進行研究。早期文化研究重要的學者有Raymond Williams、Hoggard、Paul Willis等人，Stuart Hall 則是集大成的文化研究學者。80年代開始，由於英國與美國的新自由、保守主義的興起，文化研究學者以左翼知識份子的角度對右翼主流政黨進行批判。

文化研究主要關注在媒介（medium）如何影響到意識型態、國族、階級、種族、性別等，特別是，意義如何在既有的文化政治與經濟領域中被生產、傳播、擴散、複製。可以說，文化研究主要是分析後現代的學門，也受到後結構主義與後現代主義的影響。文化研究也結合性別研究、博物館研究、政治理論、歷史哲學、電影研究、媒介研究、翻譯研究、藝術史、視覺文化等。

Contemporary cultural studies is part of many important theoretical developments, including sociological theory, anthropology, Marxism, feminism, linguistics, and literary theory. Cultural studies mainly developed from the British academic circle (critical theory and literary criticism) in the 1964s and then spread throughout the world's academic circles. Cultural studies is an interdisciplinary subject and therefore includes different academic orientations and research methods. Influenced by Western Marxism, intellectuals began to discuss the culture of the working class and began to conduct research through literary criticism and cultural analysis. Important scholars in early cultural studies include Raymond Williams, Hoggard, Paul Willis, etc. Stuart Hall is a comprehensive cultural studies scholar. Since the 1980s, due to the rise of neoliberalism and conservatism in the United Kingdom and the United States, cultural studies scholars have criticized right-wing mainstream political parties from the perspective of left-wing intellectuals.

Cultural studies mainly focus on how the media affects ideology, nation, class, race, gender, etc., especially how meaning is produced, disseminated, diffused, and reproduced in the existing cultural, political, and economic fields. It can be said that cultural studies mainly analyzes postmodernism and is also influenced by poststructuralism and postmodernism. Cultural studies also combines gender studies, museum studies, political theory, history and philosophy, film studies, media studies, translation studies, art history, visual culture, etc.

1. Urry, John著，葉浩譯。2007。《觀光客的凝視》。書林。
2. Hall, Stuart and 陳光興。1998。《文化研究：霍爾訪談錄》。元尊文化。
3. 保羅•杜蓋伊、斯圖爾特•霍爾、琳達•簡斯。《做文化研究：Sony隨身聽的故事》。商務印書館。
4. Lewis, Jeff著，邱誌勇、許夢芸譯。《細說文化研究》（Cultural Studies: the Basics）。韋伯文化。
5. Hall, Stuart. 1997. [表徵]Representation: Cultural Representations and Signifying Practices. Open University.
6. Hall, Stuart and 陳光興。1998。《文化研究：霍爾訪談錄》。元尊文化。
7.吉見俊哉著、蘇碩斌譯，《媒介文化論：給媒介學習者的15講》。群學。
8. 羅鋼、劉象愚主編，2000，《文化研究讀本》。
9. Baldwin, Elaine, Longhurst, B., McCracken, S. and Smith, G.,著，陶東風譯，《文化研究導論》（Introducing Cultural Studies）。高等教育出版社。

1. Urry, John, translated by Ye Hao. 2007. "The Tourist's Gaze". Shulin.
2. Hall, Stuart and Chen Guangxing. 1998. Cultural Studies: Interviews with Hall. Yuan Zun Culture.
3. Paul Duguay, Stuart Hall, Linda Janes. "Doing Cultural Research: The Story of the Sony Walkman." Commercial Press.
4. Lewis, Jeff, translated by Qiu Zhiyong and Xu Mengyun. Cultural Studies: the Basics. Weber culture.
5. Hall, Stuart. 1997. Representation: Cultural Representations and Signifying Practices. Open University.
6. Hall, Stuart and Chen Guangxing. 1998. Cultural Studies: Interviews with Hall. Yuan Zun Culture.
7. "Media Culture Theory: 15 Lectures for Media Learners" written by Toshiya Yoshimi and translated by Su Shuobin. Group study.
8. Edited by Luo Gang and Liu Xiangyu, 2000, "Cultural Studies Reader".
9. "Introducing Cultural Studies" by Baldwin, Elaine, Longhurst, B., McCracken, S. and Smith, G., translated by Tao Dongfeng. Higher Education Press.