The politics of a ‘Poncy Pillowcase’: Migration and borders in Coronation Street

Alexandria J. Innes, Robert J. Topinka

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4 Citations (Scopus)
11 Downloads (Pure)

Abstract

This article examines the ways in which popular culture stages and supplies resources for agency in everyday life, with particular attention to migration and borders. Drawing upon cultural studies, and specific insights originating from the Birmingham Centre for Contemporary Cultural Studies, we explore how intersectional identities such as race, ethnicity, class, and gender are experienced in relation to the globalisation of culture and identity in a 2007 Coronation Street storyline. The soap opera genre offers particular insights into how agency emerges in everyday life as migrants and locals navigate the forces of globalisation. We argue that a focus on popular culture can mitigate the problem of isolating migrant experiences from local experiences in migrant-receiving areas.
Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)273-287
Number of pages15
JournalPolitics
Volume37
Issue number3
Early online date31 Oct 2016
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 1 Aug 2017

Keywords

  • borders
  • Coronation Street
  • cultural studies
  • migration
  • politics

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