Abstract: Articulation theory has special value for cultural studies. This article discusses the evolution of the concept “articulation” from its origin through Ernesto Laclau to Stuart Hall, and goes on to portray articulation theory’s developing landscape in cultural studies – from “articulation”, “double articulation” to “triple articulation”. The developments of articulation theory have updated foundational concepts in cultural studies, helping it break the conflicts between “culturalism” and “structuralism”. However, articulation theory has also complicated the scene of cultural studies, as it overemphasizes the agency of audiences in decoding activities and overly relies on language’s expressive logic in the interpretation of cultural issues. The complications have even developed the tendency of “disarticulation” in cultural studies. Nevertheless, due to articulation theory’s intrinsic conjunction with mid-and-late-stage cultural studies and its context, it would still functions as the theoretical basis and methodological guidance for contemporary researchers in cultural studies in the short term.

Key words: Cultural studies, articulation, double articulation, triple articulation, disarticulation