ABSTRACT
The development of British cultural theory has a long and uneven historical trajectory. In presenting a view of this history this chapter attempts to be as fair to its pioneers as it is to more contemporary practitioners. Commencing with an appreciation of nineteenth-century Romanticism the chapter proceeds to an examination of the impact of some of the most influential writers of the ‘first wave’ of British cultural theory, like Raymond Williams, E. P. Thompson and Richard Hoggart. From there it considers the rise of post-structuralism through the contributions of Stuart Hall, Angela McRobbie and Paul Gilroy. Finally, recent debates in respect of cultural citizenship and policy are investigated, especially through the work of Tony Bennett, who has called for a more pragmatically orientated study of culture.
