Richard Hoggart And The Early Cultural Studies Of Birmingham School

Cultural studies is one of the most vigorous and creative academic trends in the present academic circles. Cultural studies takes its intense practicality and the critique, multi-disciplinary openness and close attention to social and politics as the remarkable characteristic. It is important to present and grasp the phylogeny of cultural studies, also necessary to appraise, reconsider its theory, and even discuss its significance to China.Cultural studies are both a systemic Project and a research field of great personal charm. This article is based on the arrangement and appraisal of academic thought and practice of Richard Hoggart—the founder of the Birmingham School of Cultural Studies, trying to explore the historical background of the rise and development of British Cultural Studies, and investigating the basic academic position and the research characteristic of the early cultural studies. Hoggart's academic activities covered two centuries, and he browses widely and his writings are rich. Maybe we can divide his academic career into two parts: One is from 1940s to the early 1970s, the second is from the 1970s to the present, and this paper focuses on the first part. Explore the most representative area of his academic research activities, mainly from the following aspects: Adult education, the working class culture, literary-cultural analysis and interdisciplinary:1, Cultural studies has a special relationship with the emergence of British social reform, especially adult education.2, Hoggart opened the precedent of the working class culture, he concerned about the daily life of the working class, exploring a living cultural experience, which is a reflection of the characteristics of Birmingham School.3, Hoggart created methods of literary -cultural analysis and ethnography, and promoted"reading for value", paid attention to the cultural significance of the texts, not only focused on the unique nature of literature, but also researched contemporary cultural phenomenon with other disciplines to illuminate society.