Editors’ Introduction: Imaginary Futures

Abstract

This issue introduction reflects on the upcoming 2025 Cultural Studies Association Annual Conference theme, “Imaginary Futures,” and cultural studies futures. This issue contains several articles that address the “presencing” of possible futures, whether through Black popular culture; digital laborers, tech workers and online sex workers; cannabis commodity aesthetics and working-class Black and Latinx life in contemporary California; or racialization of the K-pop band BTS. This issue also features several articles in the special section, “Political Economy and the Arts,” edited by Katerina Paramana, and a contribution to “Aporias,” edited by Joshua Falek.

Keywords

• cultural studies
• futures