A scholarly affair: activating cultural studies in the wilds of the knowledge economy

This paper reflects on the conceptual framework of the CSAA 2010 conference, which was focused on the theme of `a scholarly affair.' The argument posed is that cultural studies scholars have an ongoing concern for the difficulties, complexities, challenges, limitations as well as critical, creative and clarifying possibilities bound up in the very institutional and everyday contexts of knowledge and cultural production in which they live, work and play. An overview is given of how contributions in this special section of Continuum investigate diverse sites, theories, issues and methodologies that respond to this concern.