University of Birmingham announces new Stuart Hall Interdisciplinary Chair

Professor Daniel McNeil will take up the new post as Stuart Hall Interdisciplinary Chair at the University of Birmingham in the summer.

Professor Stuart Hall was a Jamaican-British academic, writer, and cultural studies pioneer who famously coined the term ‘Thatcherism’. He taught at the University of Birmingham from 1964 to 1979, during which time he co-founded the Centre for Contemporary Cultural Studies (CCCS).

A new chair has been created in Professor Hall's name as part of the ongoing work to reexplore and recognise his work and invaluable contributions to modern British cultural studies.

The University of Birmingham is delighted to announce that Professor Daniel McNeil has been appointed the inaugural Stuart Hall Interdisciplinary Chair and will join the University of Birmingham in the summer term.

Originally from Merseyside, Professor McNeil is an award-winning author, editor, and mentor who explores how movement, travel, and relocation have impacted creative development, the writing of cultural history, and the assessment of political choices. Over the past twenty years, he has transformed and boosted interdisciplinary research, teaching, and program development in the United Kingdom, the United States, and Canada. He is currently a Professor in the Department of History at Queen’s University in Canada and the Queen’s National Scholar Chair in Black Studies.

On his appointment, Professor McNeil said: “I am thrilled to be joining the University of Birmingham and to have the opportunity to collaborate with colleagues and students at the School of Social Policy and Society, as well as community partners, to make a practical difference in the world. The Stuart Hall Interdisciplinary Chair honours the legacy of a multifaceted intellectual whose work has profoundly impacted cultural studies, media studies, and our understanding of race, identity, and representation.

“Like many other people inspired by Hall’s work and ideas, I am deeply indebted to his exemplary work as a public intellectual who engaged with social and political issues, including anti-racism, multiculturalism, and social justice. I look forward to collaborating with academic and community partners on work that translates the legacy of Hall and the Centre for Contemporary Cultural Studies to diverse audiences across multiple platforms. I’m particularly keen to build on the precious resources that Hall and the CCCS granted us to study migration, multiculturalism, and the elusive question of national identity.”

Professor Nicola Gale, Head of the School of Social Policy and Society, said: “The creation of the post seeks to recognise the significant legacy of Professor Stuart Hall and the global impact of the Birmingham School of Cultural Studies. Hall was pioneering and contemporary in his approach. The School’s shared purpose is ‘to understand the world and work collaboratively to make it better’, and we are confident that Professor McNeil will inspire new generations of cultural studies scholars to be able to see our present culture with a clear lens and work together to face the big challenges of our time.”

The creation of the Stuart Hall Interdisciplinary chair follows the announcement that the University of Birmingham has embarked on a significant project centred on the Stuart Hall archive, which was deposited at the University by Stuart Hall’s family.

Professor Patricia Noxolo, Chair in Postcolonial Geographies and Co-lead of the Stuart Hall Archive Project, said: “The Stuart Hall Archive Project is a three-year project that aims to draw on Stuart Hall's archive to forge a new space for dialogue between Hall’s intellectual and political legacy and contemporary questions arising from present constituencies and communities; and to explore the history of his intellectual and political formation and development at specific conjunctures. We warmly congratulate Professor McNeil, and welcome the opportunity to dialogue with him in his new role.”

It also comes as the University celebrates its 125th anniversary and the century and a quarter of groundbreaking research and education that followed the award of its royal charter in 1900.

Professor Nasar Meer, Academic Committee Chair of the Stuart Hall Foundation, said: “We warmly welcome Professor McNeil and look forward to the conversations and collaborations with the Stuart Hall Foundation in the years to come.”