معرفی
Hugh Hodges is an Associate Professor in the Department of English and Cultural Studies at Trent University, where he also serves as Chair of Cultural Studies. He is affiliated with Traill College and serves on the Graduate Faculty for both the M.A. English Literature (Public Texts) program and the PhD Cultural Studies program. His academic journey began with a B.A. from Queen's University, followed by M.A. and Ph.D. degrees from the University of Toronto.
Dr. Hodges' research focuses on the dynamic intersections between popular music and postcolonial literature, with special attention to African and West Indian cultural production. His work examines how musical forms like reggae, calypso, and Afrobeat interact with literary traditions from these regions. He has published extensively on Bob Marley, Fela Kuti, Lord Kitchener, and various Caribbean and African writers including Wole Soyinka, Chinua Achebe, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, and Chris Abani.
His most recent publication, The Fascist Groove Thing: A History of Thatcher's Britain in 21 Mixtapes (2023), explores how popular music responded to the political turbulence of 1980s Britain. This work has been praised for capturing 'both the noises and the feel of a tumultuous 1980s' and demonstrating 'how music can offer hope, express outrage, inspire action, or provide moments of escape in bleak, frightening times.' His earlier book Soon Come examined Jamaican spirituality and poetics.
Dr. Hodges teaches courses in African and West Indian literature with an integrated approach that incorporates musical elements, reflecting his belief that 'you can't separate West Indian literature from reggae, calypso and soca, or Nigerian literature from highlife, juju and Afro-beat.' He also co-teaches a class on Music & Politics with Dr. Ihor Junyk, exploring the connections between musical expression and political movements.
