The subject matter of Cultural Studies as it emerged as a ‘proto-discipline’ in the 1960s, was predominantly exploration of

The correct option is Popular Culture.

Cultural Studies emerged as a "proto-discipline" in the 1960s, largely pioneered by scholars associated with the Centre for Contemporary Cultural Studies (CCCS) at the University of Birmingham, founded in 1964. Influential figures like Richard Hoggart, Raymond Williams, and E.P. Thompson sought to challenge traditional academic paradigms that focused almost exclusively on "High Culture" (such as canonical literature, fine arts, and classical music).

Instead, these early cultural theorists argued that culture is not just high art but "a whole way of life." They shifted the scholarly gaze toward popular culture—the everyday practices, texts, television programs, music, and youth subcultures of ordinary and working-class people. By analyzing popular culture, they demonstrated how mass media and everyday consumer activities serve as critical arenas where social ideologies, power structures, and class relations are constructed, negotiated, and resisted.