Stuart Hall, Social Theorist, Educator and Visionary: A Personal Tribute

Abstract

On the 10^th of February 2014 society lost one of its greatest social theorists. Stuart Hall’s death has left a raw space in the hearts and minds of all who knew him and his work.  Hall was a man who understood contradictions and the way in which the catalyst of a marked identity can give rise to a deep understanding of the struggle for social change. As he grew up in Jamaica, his identity was formed in the light of “shades of black” racism as well as the complexity of colonial mentality.  Yet it was this very complexity that facilitated Halls brilliant theorising - a theorising that has a poweful message for Community Education today.  To fully understand Hall’s message and the man himself, it is important to consider how, during his time with The Birmingham School of Cultural Studies and the Open University, Hall drew together the work of different theorists in order to explore and explain social change and injustice.