Richard Howells

I specialise in visual and popular culture, media, Utopian critical theory, and the sociology of representation. These interests combine cultural theory with the use of case studies as seemingly varied as the myth of the Titanic, celebrity photography, Navajo design and the humour of Ali G. The methodology is interpretive with a focus on close textual analysis. I have been Distinguished Visiting Professor at the Center for the Arts in Society at Carnegie Mellon University in the USA and Visiting Scholar at St John's College, University of Oxford. In 2017 I was a Visiting Fellow at Exeter College, University of Oxford, and Visiting Research Fellow, Department of Politics and International Relations, University of Oxford.

Visual culture; popular culture, media, Utopian critical theory; cultural theory; the sociology of representation; the Titanic in myth and media; the Bloomsbury Group; the life and work of Arnold Bennett.

I have degrees from Harvard University (AB, Summa Cum Laude) and the University of Cambridge (MPhil and Phd).