Middlebrow Network

Description

The Middlebrow Network is an interdisciplinary group dedicated to research around the term ‘middlebrow’. It runs a JISCMAIL list for announcements about events, new publications etc. It maintains a website with research resources and a bibliography.

The significance of studying middlebrow culture lies in its ability to shed light on a distinct set of tastes, institutions, and social practices that were prevalent among the aspirational middle class during the early to mid-twentieth century. Furthermore, it provides insights into the dynamic relationship between elite, popular, and intermediate cultural production.

This topic holds particular relevance in the contemporary era due to the parallel emergence of middlebrow cultural products following the First World War, which was primarily driven by technological innovations in printing, distribution, recording, and broadcasting. These historical trends bear direct resemblance to the current landscape shaped by the internet, which has not only spurred a resurgence in textual production but has also given rise to new internationalized audiences and interpretive communities that mirror the middlebrow cultural formations of the past. For instance, electronic book clubs, online magazines, diaries, and blogs reminiscent of the Mass Observation project serve as prominent examples in this context.