在十九世紀以前，講到文化，多半將之視為一種現象加以描述，特別是藝術、文學、建築、思想，當社會條件轉變，人類的生活方式轉化之後，尤其是工業革命之後，文化的現代意義出現了轉變，它不再是一種現象，而成為一種對象。文化由記載「文藝的成就」、「人類思維的演變」。而成為探討人類在社會、經濟、政治、生活上的改變，以及其帶來的挑戰與反應。文化不是已生成之物，而是正在生長歷程之中。西方的文化研究從「文化的研究」論及「文化研究」，也就是將文化從一般的討論，發展為專門的論述，換言之，由人類思想、社會行動、異文化接觸、經濟生產結構至當代的文化研究。尤其是當代文化研究。這種文化研究是英國60年代一群「新左派」學者在二十世紀對英國政治及社會危機的一種反思與批判，它們掀起一陣文化研究風。

　　　　　Before the nineteenth century, culture more than often was described as a kind of phenomenon, especially art, literature, architecture and thought. With the transformations in social conditions and ways of lives, particularly after the industrial revolution, the modern meaning of culture is different; instead of a kind of phenomena, now it's seen as a kind of objects. Rather than recording "artistic achievements" and "the ideal evolution," now culture explores changes in the society, economy, politics and lives as well as the consequent challenges and reactions. Culture is not established; it is always on the way of being established. As part of the Western "study of culture", "culture study" develops from the general discussion about culture into a disciplinary discourse, in other words, including human thought, social actions, the contact with alien cultures, the structure of economic production, down to the contemporary culture study. It has to be noted that this culture study is the reflection and criticism by the New Left scholars in the sixties about the political and social crises in Britain and creates a new trend of culture study.