Abstract

Political scientists are increasingly interested in popular culture since movies notably reflect on social and political changes and are sometimes seen as mirrors of common ideologies and fears. This introductory chapter gives an overview on the current importance of research of movies in political science—a trend that is often coined as part of the turn towards popular culture in social sciences. This chapter discusses theoretical and empirical approaches to movies, how the usual perception of ‘quality TV’ has changed over the last years and why the new trend towards the interpretation of movies made its way into classrooms.