Abstract

I recall distinctly when and where I first heard of Stuart Hall. It was in 1973 at a residential school I had organised at the University of Bristol on Marxism and Literature with Raymond Williams and E.P Thompson as its main—indeed, only— speakers. And it was Thompson who mentioned Stuart, saying that I ought to have asked him to speak in Thompson’s place. I put this down to Thompson’s characteristic modesty, for both he and Williams had commanded their audience’s attention throughout a memorable weekend. But I logged the name and began to look up Stuart’s work.