Richard Hoggart
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Herbert Richard Hoggart (24 September 1918 – 10 April 2014) was a British academic whose career covered the fields of sociology,
English literature English literature is literature written in the English language from United Kingdom, its crown dependencies, the Republic of Ireland, the United States, and the countries of the former British Empire. ''The Encyclopaedia Britannica'' defines E ...
and
cultural studies Cultural studies is an interdisciplinary field that examines the political dynamics of contemporary culture (including popular culture) and its historical foundations. Cultural studies researchers generally investigate how cultural practices re ...
, with emphasis on
British popular culture British culture is influenced by the combined nations' history; its historically Christian religious life, its interaction with the cultures of Europe, the traditions of England, Wales, Scotland and Ireland and the impact of the British Empir ...
.


Early life

Hoggart was born in the
Potternewton Potternewton (until recently also Potter Newton) is a suburb and parish between Chapeltown and Chapel Allerton in north-east Leeds, West Yorkshire, England. It is in the Chapel Allerton ward of Leeds City Council. Potternewton is bounded by ...
area of
Leeds Leeds () is a city and the administrative centre of the City of Leeds district in West Yorkshire, England. It is built around the River Aire and is in the eastern foothills of the Pennines. It is also the third-largest settlement (by populati ...
, one of three children in an impoverished family. His father, Tom Longfellow Hoggart (1880–1922), the son of a boilermaker, was a regular infantry soldier and housepainter who died of
brucellosis Brucellosis is a highly contagious zoonosis caused by ingestion of unpasteurized milk or undercooked meat from infected animals, or close contact with their secretions. It is also known as undulant fever, Malta fever, and Mediterranean fever. The ...
when Hoggart was a year old, and his mother Adeline died of a chest illness when he was eight. He grew up with his grandmother in
Hunslet Hunslet () is an inner-city area in south Leeds, West Yorkshire, England. It is southeast of the city centre and has an industrial past. It is situated in the Hunslet and Riverside ward of Leeds City Council and Leeds Central parliamentar ...
, and was encouraged in his education by an aunt. Emulating his elder brother, Tom, the first of the family to go to a grammar school, he gained a place at
Cockburn High School Cockburn School (formerly Cockburn High School) is a mixed secondary school located in the Beeston area of Leeds, West Yorkshire, England. The original school on this site was Parkside secondary modern, which was an all-boys school. The h ...
which was a
grammar school A grammar school is one of several different types of school in the history of education in the United Kingdom and other English-speaking countries, originally a school teaching Latin, but more recently an academically oriented secondary school ...
, after his headmaster requested that the education authority reread his scholarship examination essay. He then won a scholarship to study English at the
University of Leeds , mottoeng = And knowledge will be increased , established = 1831 – Leeds School of Medicine1874 – Yorkshire College of Science1884 - Yorkshire College1887 – affiliated to the federal Victoria University1904 – University of Leeds , ...
, where he graduated with a first class degree. He served with the
Royal Artillery The Royal Regiment of Artillery, commonly referred to as the Royal Artillery (RA) and colloquially known as "The Gunners", is one of two regiments that make up the artillery arm of the British Army. The Royal Regiment of Artillery comprises t ...
during
World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
and was discharged as a staff captain.


Career

He was a staff tutor at the
University of Hull The University of Hull is a public research university in Kingston upon Hull, a city in the East Riding of Yorkshire, England. It was founded in 1927 as University College Hull. The main university campus is located in Hull and is home to the Hull ...
from 1946 to 1959, and published his first book, a study of
W. H. Auden Wystan Hugh Auden (; 21 February 1907 – 29 September 1973) was a British-American poet. Auden's poetry was noted for its stylistic and technical achievement, its engagement with politics, morals, love, and religion, and its variety in ...
's poetry, in 1951. His major work, ''
The Uses of Literacy ''The Uses of Literacy'' is a book written by Richard Hoggart and published in 1957, examining the influence of mass media in the United Kingdom. The book has been described as a key influence in the history of English and media studies and in t ...
'', was published in 1957. Partly autobiography, the volume was interpreted as lamenting the loss of an authentic working class popular culture in Britain, and denouncing the imposition of a mass culture through advertising, media and
Americanisation Americanization or Americanisation (see spelling differences) is the influence of American culture and business on other countries outside the United States of America, including their media, cuisine, business practices, popular culture, te ...
. He became Senior Lecturer in English at the
University of Leicester , mottoeng = So that they may have life , established = , type = public research university , endowment = £20.0 million , budget = £326 million , chancellor = David Willetts , vice_chancellor = Nishan Canagarajah , head_lab ...
from 1959 to 1962. Hoggart was an expert witness at the
Lady Chatterley trial ''R v Penguin Books Ltd'' was the public prosecution in the United Kingdom of Penguin Books under the ''Obscene Publications Act 1959'' for the publication of D. H. Lawrence's 1928 novel ''Lady Chatterley's Lover''. The trial took place over ...
in 1960, and his argument that it was an essentially moral and "puritan" work, which merely repeated words he had heard on a building site on his way to the court,Hartley, J. (2009). ''The Uses of Digital Literacy''. St. Lucia: University of Queensland Press. p. 2 is sometimes viewed as having had a decisive influence on the outcome of the trial. While Professor of English at
Birmingham University , mottoeng = Through efforts to heights , established = 1825 – Birmingham School of Medicine and Surgery1836 – Birmingham Royal School of Medicine and Surgery1843 – Queen's College1875 – Mason Science College1898 – Mason Univers ...
between 1962 and 1973, he founded the institution's
Centre for Contemporary Cultural Studies Center or centre may refer to: Mathematics *Center (geometry), the middle of an object * Center (algebra), used in various contexts ** Center (group theory) ** Center (ring theory) * Graph center, the set of all vertices of minimum eccentricit ...
in 1964 and was its director until 1969. Hoggart was Assistant Director-General of
UNESCO The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) aimed at promoting world peace and security through international cooperation in education, arts, sciences and culture. It ...
(1971–1975) and finally Warden of
Goldsmiths, University of London Goldsmiths, University of London, officially the Goldsmiths' College, is a constituent research university of the University of London in England. It was originally founded in 1891 as The Goldsmiths' Technical and Recreative Institute by the Wor ...
(1976–1984), after which he retired from formal academic life. The Main Building at Goldsmiths has now been renamed the "Richard Hoggart Building" in tribute to his contributions to the college. Hoggart was a member of numerous public bodies and committees, including the
Albemarle Committee on Youth Services Albemarle may refer to: People * Albemarle (given name) * Duke of Albemarle, includes a list of the dukes * Earl of Albemarle, includes a list of the earls Places United States * Albemarle, North Carolina, a city * Albemarle Sound, an estuary on ...
(1958–1960), the
Pilkington Committee on Broadcasting The Pilkington Committee was set up on 13 July 1960 under the chairmanship of British industrialist Sir Harry Pilkington to consider the future of broadcasting, cable and "the possibility of television for public showing". One of the Pilkington ...
(1960–1962), the Arts Council of Great Britain (1976–1981) and the
Statesman and Nation Publishing Company Ltd The ''New Statesman'' is a British political and cultural magazine published in London. Founded as a weekly review of politics and literature on 12 April 1913, it was at first connected with Sidney and Beatrice Webb and other leading members o ...
(1977–1981). He was also Chairman of the Advisory Council for Adult and
Continuing Education Continuing education (similar to further education in the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland, Ireland) is an all-encompassing term within a broad list of post-secondary learning activities and programs. The term is used mainly in the United ...
(1977–1983), and the
Broadcasting Research Unit Broadcasting is the distribution of audio or video content to a dispersed audience via any electronic mass communications medium, but typically one using the electromagnetic spectrum (radio waves), in a one-to-many model. Broadcasting began wi ...
(1981–1991), as well as a Governor of the
Royal Shakespeare Company The Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC) is a major British theatre company, based in Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire, England. The company employs over 1,000 staff and produces around 20 productions a year. The RSC plays regularly in London, St ...
(1962–1988). In later works, such as ''The Way We Live Now'' (1995), he regretted the decline in
moral authority Moral authority is authority premised on principles, or fundamental truths, which are independent of written, or positive, laws. As such, moral authority necessitates the existence of and adherence to truth. Because truth does not change, the princi ...
that he held religion once provided. He also attacked contemporary education for its emphasis on the vocational, and cultural relativism for its tendency to concentrate on the popular and meretricious.


Personal life

One of his two sons was the political journalist
Simon Hoggart Simon David Hoggart (26 May 1946 – 5 January 2014) was an English journalist and broadcaster. He wrote on politics for ''The Guardian'', and on wine for ''The Spectator''. Until 2006 he presented '' The News Quiz'' on BBC Radio 4. His journal ...
, who predeceased him by three months, and the other is the television critic
Paul Hoggart Paul Hoggart is a British journalist and novelist. Early life and career Hoggart spent some years as a further education lecturer at Kingsway College and then Woolwich College in London before moving into journalism as a book reviewer, feature ...
. He was also survived by a daughter, Nicola. In '' The Chatterley Affair'', a 2006 dramatisation of the 1960 trial made for the
digital television Digital television (DTV) is the transmission of television signals using digital encoding, in contrast to the earlier analog television technology which used analog signals. At the time of its development it was considered an innovative advanc ...
channel
BBC Four BBC Four is a British free-to-air public broadcast television channel owned and operated by the BBC. It was launched on 2 March 2002
, he was played by actor
David Tennant David John Tennant (''né'' McDonald; born 18 April 1971) is a Scottish actor. He rose to fame for his role as the tenth incarnation of the Doctor (2005–2010 and 2013) in the BBC science-fiction TV show '' Doctor Who'', reprising the rol ...
.


Death

In later life he suffered from dementia. He died at a nursing home in London on 10 April 2014, aged 95.


Auden: An Introductory Essay

Hoggart wrote a "critical study" of the "whole range of Auden's works." This "range" included "the earlier poems of the thirties, the plays, and the long poems."


Works

*''Auden'' (Chatto, 1951) biography of
W. H. Auden Wystan Hugh Auden (; 21 February 1907 – 29 September 1973) was a British-American poet. Auden's poetry was noted for its stylistic and technical achievement, its engagement with politics, morals, love, and religion, and its variety in ...
. *''
The Uses of Literacy ''The Uses of Literacy'' is a book written by Richard Hoggart and published in 1957, examining the influence of mass media in the United Kingdom. The book has been described as a key influence in the history of English and media studies and in t ...
: Aspects of Working Class Life'' (Chatto and Windus, 1957) . *''Teaching Literature'' (Nat. Inst. of Adult Education, 1963) . *''Higher Education and Cultural Change: A Teacher's View (Earl Grey Memorial Lecture)'' (Univ.Newcastle, 1966) . *''Contemporary Cultural Studies: An Approach to the Study of Literature and Society'' (Univ. Birmingham, Centre for Contemp. Cult. Studies, 1969) paper is based on a lecture given to the annual conference of the American Association for Higher Education at Chicago on 20 March 1978. *''Speaking to Each Other: About Society v. 1'' (Chatto and Windus, 1970) . *''Speaking to Each Other: About Literature v. 2'' (Chatto and Windus, 1970) . *''Only Connect: On Culture and Communication (Reith Lectures)'' (Chatto and Windus, 1972) . *''After Expansion, a Time for Diversity: The Universities Into the 1990s'' (ACACE, 1978) . *''An Idea and Its Servants: UNESCO from Within'' (Chatto and Windus, 1978) . *''An English Temper'' (Chatto and Windus, 1982) . *''The Future of Broadcasting'' by Richard Hoggart, Janet Morgan (Holmes & Meier, 1982) . *''British Council and the Arts'' by Richard Hoggart et al. (British Council, 1986) . *''The Worst of Times: An Oral History of the Great Depression in Britain'' by Nigel Gray, Richard Hoggart (Barnes & Noble Imports, 1986) . *''An Idea of Europe'' (Chatto and Windus, 1987) . *''A Local Habitation, 1918–40'' (Chatto and Windus, 1988) . *''Liberty and Legislation'' (Frank Cass Publishers, 1989) . *''A Sort of Clowning: Life and Times, 1940–59'' (Chatto and Windus, 1990) first volume of Hoggart's "Life and Times" described his working-class childhood in Leeds. *''An Imagined Life: Life and Times 1959–91'' (Chatto and Windus, 1992) . *''Townscape with Figures: Farnham – Portrait of an English Town'' (Chatto and Windus, 1994) . *''A Measured Life: The Times and Places of an Orphaned Intellectual'' (Transaction Publishers, 1994) . *''The Way We Live Now: Dilemmas in Contemporary Culture'' (Chatto and Windus, 1995) republished as ''The Tyranny of Relativism: Culture and Politics in Contemporary English Society'' (Transaction Publishers, 1997) . *''First and Last Things: The Uses of Old Age'' (Aurum Press, 1999) . *''Between Two Worlds: Essays, 1978–1999'' (Aurum Press, 2001) . *''Between Two Worlds: Politics, Anti-Politics, and the Unpolitical'' (Transaction Publishers, 2002) . *''Everyday Language and Everyday Life'' (Transaction Publishers, 2003) . *''Mass Media in a Mass Society: Myth and Reality'' (Continuum International Publishing Group – Academi, 2004) . *''Promises to Keep: Thoughts in Old Age'' (Continuum) .


See also

*
European Museum of the Year The European Museum of the Year Award (EMYA) is presented each year by the European Museum Forum ( EMF) under the auspices of the Council of Europe. The EMYA is considered the most important annual award in the European museum sector. History ...


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hoggart, Richard 1918 births 2014 deaths 20th-century British male writers 20th-century British non-fiction writers 21st-century British male writers 21st-century British non-fiction writers Academics of the University of Birmingham Academics of the University of Hull Academics of the University of Leicester Alumni of the University of Leeds British Army personnel of World War II British male non-fiction writers British sociologists Fellows of the Royal Society of Literature
Richard Richard is a male given name. It originates, via Old French, from Frankish language, Old Frankish and is a Compound (linguistics), compound of the words descending from Proto-Germanic language, Proto-Germanic ''*rīk-'' 'ruler, leader, king' an ...
People associated with Goldsmiths, University of London People educated at Cockburn School, Leeds Royal Artillery officers Writers from Leeds