Adorno tells us that art can be a 'negative knowledge of the actual world’. We need this knowledge more than ever, and to grasp every opportunity to place humanistic learning on the side of new life and possibility.
Scott Hames is Senior Lecturer in Scottish Literature at the University of Stirling, and Associate Dean for Research and Innovation (Arts and Humanities). He wrote his PhD on James Kelman and his scholarship centres on Scottish literature, magazines and cultural politics, with a focus on the era of devolution (1967-present).
His 2020 monograph on The Literary Politics of Scottish Devolution was described as ‘one of the most original and arresting studies of our political culture written for 10 years’ (Herald). He leads the Scottish Magazines Network, an AHRC research network partnered with the National Library of Scotland, and co-edits (with Maria Daniella-Dick and Alex Thomson) the book series Engagements with Modern Scottish Culture for Edinburgh University Press.
He is currently Chair of the Universities Commitee for Scottish Literature, and a co-opted member of the University English Executive Committee. He is also Deputy Lead of the Scottish Graduate School for Arts and Humanities Literature Catalyst; Tom Nairn is the focus of his next book.
