SPAIS Lunchtime Talks are a chance to hear SPAIS lecturers and researchers offer their take on some of the big issues of the day. Talks will draw on their research and expertise, inviting us to think critically about events and ideas shaping popular discourse on politics and international relations today. Talks will last approximately 25-30 minutes, followed by a Q&A session.

As an eminent sociologist and founder of cultural studies, Stuart Hall (1932-2014) was one of the, perhaps the single most distinguished public intellectuals in post-war Britain. Between 1956 and 1964, he was also at the center of the New Left and the peace movement. This talk examines his practical engagement with political struggles in these years: it assesses the considerable impact that Hall had on Labour politics and examines how these struggles shaped his subsequent outlook.