Asian popular culture

1. How does Asian popular culture relate to processes of regional integration and/or globalization? How is popular culture affected by, and how does it affect in turn, the transnational flows of people and products within and outside of Asia? 2. What is the function of Asian popular culture? Does it have a political function, and if so, does it subvert or reinforce existing power structures? Is it more a form of escapism and containment of dissent, or a potentially subversive force in society? Is Soft Power real or just a political construct? 3. How is Asian popular culture consumed? What is the role of audience reception and fandom in its production and circulation? Is pop culture a product of the mainstream elite exploited to pacify the masses, as the Frankfurt School would argue, is it a subversive blurring of boundaries between production and consumption that speaks for an active appropriation that is potentially revolutionary, as Henry Jenkins would maintain, or is it something in between the two?