Introduction: Cultural Analysis, circa 2034

Cultural analysis gained its shape in the late 1990s. This in-troduction proposes to reassess its relevance to the immediate present as well as the near future. After a brief genealogical sketch, we address the current situation, alternating between successful institutionaliza-tion, slow scholarly attrition, and intensif ied threat, as well as ref lect on a discussion in cultural studies at large on the f ield’s methodological standardization versus its improvisational openness. Finally, we address the present historicity of the main aspects of cultural analysis as suggested by Mieke Bal—including object analysis, a heuristic use of concepts, interdisciplinarity, and social relevance—and introduce the volume’s contributions under those headings.