Madonna Studies

Madonna Studies was a term which has been used to refer to a controversial development of a field in media studies during the 90s. One writer described the "institutionalization of a major subdivision of American media studies into Madonna studies". [Robertson, P (1996). "Guilty Pleasures: Feminist Camp From Mae West to Madonna". Duke University Press, London, pp. 117.] The field related to the study of and interpretation of the work of American pop musician Madonna using an interdisciplinary approach incorporating cultural studies and media studies. A notable compendium of essays titled "The Madonna Connection" [Schwichtenberg, C. (1993). Introduction to Schwichtenberg, C (ed), "The Madonna Connection: Representational Politics, Subcultural Identities, and Cultural Theory". Westview Press, San Francisco.] was published in 1993. Controversy over this field of study stemmed from discussions over the intellectual worth of pursuing academic inquiry into a pop musician, with some arguing the field was nothing more than pop cultural commentary.

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