Stuart Hall was a Jamaican-British academic, writer, cultural studies pioneer, public intellectual and teacher who was born in Kingston, Jamaica in 1932. As a leading public intellectual, he made major interventions in the cultural and political life of Britain, such as coining the term ‘Thatcherism’ and his work on race and class. Hall taught at the University of Birmingham from 1964 to 1979.
His influence has continued, with interest in his life and work growing locally and internationally. Hall’s intellectual work has had profound consequences, for the field of cultural studies, and the humanities and social sciences more broadly.
The project is centred on the Stuart Hall archive, which was deposited at the University by Stuart Hall’s family. The archive will be fully catalogued by the Cadbury Research Library team over the course of the project, which is split into three main strands: Conjunctures, Readings and Dialogues.
Conjunctures will be led by Patricia Noxolo, Professor of Human Geography and Chair in Postcolonial Geographies at the University of Birmingham. Professor Noxolo will develop a programme of engagement with the extended Caribbean cultural and social diasporas, and minority communities, which will present new questions, knowledge, practices, and methods of teaching from the work of Stuart Hall considering current cultural issues.
Professor Noxolo commented: “This is such an exciting project! Stuart Hall's insights are deep in the marrow of Black and Caribbean scholarship, and his work still has real meaning to a wide range of communities, not just in the UK but globally. I'm really looking forward to starting diverse conversations.”
This is such an exciting project! Stuart Hall's insights are deep in the marrow of Black and Caribbean scholarship, and his work still has real meaning to a wide range of communities, not just in the UK but globally. I'm really looking forward to starting diverse conversations.
Professor Patricia Noxolo, University of Birmingham
Dr Nick Beech, who worked with Stuart Hall, will be joining the University of Birmingham as Associate Professor in the Birmingham School for Social Policy for three years to lead the project as a whole and on Readings. This will recover previously unpublished or under-appreciated work by Stuart Hall and situate that work in his intellectual and political formation and development.
Dr Beech said: “Stuart Hall’s archive forms a major part of his intellectual and political legacy. Unseen papers, recordings of lectures, seminars and television and radio broadcasts – these will be made accessible again and for the first time, enabling audiences – new and old – to read, see, and hear Hall’s critical interventions and provocations, as they were made in the past and in the light (and shadow) of the present.”
The influence and work of Stuart Hall cannot be underestimated. This three-year project will deliver a real step change in the condition, digital accessibility and use of Stuart Hall’s archive bringing his incredible insights and thinking back into focus for the public and academics all over the world. It is also the first step in a number of interventions the University is making to profile his work, engage with our diverse communities and promote the use of our archives.
Professor Richard Black, University of Birmingham
Dialogues will digitise the Stuart Hall archive and develop new methods of engagement with the materials to make those more accessible to the public and scholars, as well as introducing new questions of historical and contemporary relevance. This will be led by Dr Rebecca Roach, Associate Professor of Contemporary Literature at the University of Birmingham.
Dr Roach commented: “This is a fantastic opportunity to develop a resource for diverse communities both here in Birmingham and around the world. In a time of anxiety around the potential import of digital technologies, I am really excited to think about how Stuart Hall’s ideas and legacies can help us navigate this moment.”
Professor Richard Black, Pro-Vice-Chancellor and Head of the College of Social Sciences, who has been overseeing the development of the project said: “The influence and work of Stuart Hall cannot be underestimated. This three-year project will deliver a real step change in the condition, digital accessibility and use of Stuart Hall’s archive bringing his incredible insights and thinking back into focus for the public and academics all over the world. It is also the first step in a number of interventions the University is making to profile his work, engage with our diverse communities and promote the use of our archives.”
