“Popular media reflects the politics of the moment,” says Nijdam. “Comics, for example, take the temperature of society.”

Their work – using films, comics, games and other creative mediums – shows how pop culture is more than just entertainment; it is also a powerful tool for critical thinking, cultural exchange and community connection.

Pop culture inspirations

The roots of the Pop Culture Cluster trace back to another one of Nijdam’s research groups: the UBC Comic Studies Cluster. She founded the group after completing her PhD; it expanded her research, which almost entirely focused on comics and graphic novels.

For the assistant professor, comics provide cultural and political richness that is not often explored by scholars. Nijdam notes that the genre is valuable to research, both for its content and methodology.

“You can use comics as a tool to spread information,” she explains. “If you look at comics from the 1980s, you’ll see Cold War anxieties woven into their plots.”

The assistant professor adds that comic scholarship is important because it uses humanities and social science research methodologies to “evaluate popular media and culture” – providing a way to understand “what is really going on in society.”

For her, these themes change over time – just as political landscapes develop. Through various initiatives, the Pop Culture Cluster has explored how comics can disseminate knowledge in accessible and culturally resonate ways. For example, the “Remember” Comics Project with the Homalco First Nation supports language revitalization and cultural preservation.

Working with Indigenous cartoonists, the project created comics depicting the Homalco First Nation’s traditional knowledge and cultural practices. Nijdam sees the comic form as a powerful storytelling and educational tool.

“Storytelling resonates,” she says. “It’s how we understand who we are – whether through Indigenous oral traditions, holiday rituals or the comics we read on the bus.”

Building classroom bridges

The Pop Culture Cluster is more than a research group: it is an interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary hub for evaluating popular media and its potential impacts in education. Through its many initiatives, the group examines how pop culture illuminates and catalyzes social change.

“That’s why working with popular media is so important,” the assistant professor adds. “It’s about making meaning together.”

The Pop Culture Cluster also includes the Critical Play Lab, which broadens the group’s research focus to tabletop games and other forms of play. The lab hosts the Games for Decolonization Project, an initiative aimed at investigating how board games can serve as decolonial teaching tools. It was recently awarded an Insight Development Grant, governmental funding that supports the investigation of new research questions and methodologies.

Another initiative is Pop Pedagogies, which develops resources for instructors eager to integrate popular media into their teaching. The group is also planning a Pop Pedagogies Symposium at UBC in 2026 – an opportunity for educators and researchers to share their practices for incorporating pop culture into the classroom.

“These initiatives share a common thread: using pop culture as a lens for understanding humanity, a medium for amplifying marginalized voices and a method for re-imagining education itself,” says Nijdam.

She adds that they hope to “expand partnerships, [connect] with K-12 educators, nonprofits and more faculty across disciplines in the future.” Their dream is that pop culture will be seen as essential for building a legitimate foundation that reimagines scholarship and public engagement.

A classroom for the future

By treating pop culture as legitimate objects of study, the cluster invites students to bring their cultural backgrounds and personal media habits into academic discussions. Nijdam notes how this move presents “a unique chance” to develop inclusive learning environments. This approach resonates particularly with international students or those from underrepresented backgrounds.

“While some may not have grown up with Cinderella or Snow White, the class creates space for them to share their own cultural narratives, fostering mutual respect and deeper cross-cultural understanding,” she adds.

The results of this work are evident in student engagement. Courses become spaces where students use Disney films, TikTok reels, video games and other popular media in their investigations – bridging experiences of daily life with critical inquiry.

“All of a sudden, university work isn’t in some far-off sphere,” the assistant professor notes. “It’s connected to their lives.”

For instructors curious about using pop culture but unsure where to start, Nijdam advises beginning with media they genuinely enjoy. She adds that comfort with not knowing every detail is key; students often bring more current knowledge of trends, slang or game
mechanics.

What matters is creating a framework for critical thinking and examining how media reflects as well as shapes social realities. As the research group continues to grow, Nijdam and her team demonstrate how pop culture is far more than entertainment – it’s a catalyst for connection and change.

“Pop culture isn’t a distraction from serious scholarship,” she adds. “It’s a bridge between the university and lived experience.”

For more information about the UBC Pop Culture Cluster, see https://pop-culture.arts.ubc.ca

For more information on the Homalco First Nation, see https://www.homalco.com/

Those interested in purchasing Xwémalhkwu Hero Stories: A Graphic Novel can reach out to the Homalco First Nation directly: [email protected]