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Queen Elizabeth II’s seven decade-long reign makes it challenging to whittle down to just a few big moments. She witnessed some of the world’s most pivotal events. But from a Texas perspective, there are two days in 1991 that stick out. Commentator W.F. Strong tells us about when the Queen toured the Lone Star State.
This commentary was first produced in 2020.
As more teachers quit, those who remain are taking on more students and more responsibilities; a survey suggests a new Texas public school crisis in the making. Also, efforts to ban certain books from school libraries and how what’s been happening in Hood County may be a harbinger of what’s ahead. Those stories and more today on the Texas Standard:
Situated on Goldsmiths, University of London campus, this conversation between Ben Carrington, Professor of Sociology at the University of Texas at Austin and Les Back, Professor of Sociology at Goldsmith’s, University of London, considers the contributions that Stuart Hall made to the field of cultural studies and the loss that has been felt since his passing.
The discussion between Carrington and Back touches on topics such as the complimentary relationship between Stuart Hall and Richard Hoggart, Hall’s role as an interpreter of British culture and Back’s experience in the making of “At Home and Not at Home: Stuart Hall in Conversation with Les Back.”
Back emphasizes Hall’s intellectual generosity, his practice of collaboration, and his ability to engage the big issues through both commonplace cultural practices and extraordinary political events. Ending in front of the New Cross Inn, the conversation turns to why Hall remains a relevant intellectual figure both for cultural studies and for the increasingly limited possibilities within academia to do critical work.
The interview draws to a close with Back’s thoughts on what he misses most about Stuart Hall, including his understated sense of humor.
-Maggie Tate