Hoggart, Richard (1918—2014) Left-wing British literary historian and sociologist who was instrumental in establishing Cultural Studies. Born and educated in Leeds, Hoggart was with the Royal Artillery during World War II, reaching the rank of captain. Hoggart’s first academic job (like Williams, Raymond’s) was as a tutor in adult education at the University of Hull, a position he held from 1946 until 1959. It was during these years that he wrote the semi-autobiographical work for which he is still best known today: The Uses of Literacy (1957). A bestseller at the time, it was influential for two main reasons: firstly, it broke with the relativism tradition’s emphasis on high culture and demonstrated that there was an authentic working-class culture worthy of consideration; second, it argued that this tradition of working-class culture (which was his own) was under threat of destruction from imported American popular culture. From Hull he moved briefly to the University of Leicester and from there to Birmingham University in 1962. There, together with Hall, Stuart, he founded the Centre for Contemporary Cultural Studies, which is regarded by many as the birthplace of Cultural Studies as an academic discipline. He directed the centre for a decade, then took a three-year position with UNESCO, and finished his academic career as warden of Goldsmith’s College in London. Hoggart retired in 1984, but maintained an active publishing schedule for many years, producing several further works reflecting on the state of British cultural traditions.