Dr Derek Hird
Senior Lecturer in Chinese StudiesCurrent Teaching
CHIN100/101: Chinese in Context (Convenor)
CHIN233: Shaping Contemporary China: Moments and Movements
(Convenor)
DELC215: Language and Identity in France, Germany, Spain and the Sinophone World
DELC218: Thinking Queerness: LGBTQIA+ lives, identities and politics in contemporary thought and cultural production
DELC331: Transnational TV Crime Drama: Armchair Detectives, Crime, Cultures and Circulation
DELC334c: Academic writing in a second language (Chinese) (Convenor)
DELC338: Spirits in the Material World: Cultures and Sciences (Convenor)
DELC372: Sinophone Literature and Film (Convenor)
DELC403: Applied Translation
DELC416: Academic and Professional Methods in Translation
DELC420: Translation Project
DELC468: Intercultural Business Communication
Research Overview
My research principally concerns gender and class in Chinese/Sinophone populations, with a particular focus on middle-class masculinities. I have also published on happiness in China. My recent projects examine Chinese male beauty vlogging and makeup for men, and Confucian masculinities. More widely, I have also developed a research interest in critical pedagogy in modern languages and the future of languages and cultures as a sector, including its interdisciplinary interactions with STEM disciplines. I often approach topics from a wide-ranging cultural studies perspective, covering discourse and practice. Ethnographic, narrative and critical discourse methodologies frequently inform my data gathering and analysis.
External Roles
- Council Member, British Association for Chinese Studies (2014–17)
- Co-editor of the Transnational Asian Masculinities book series (Hong Kong University Press) (2015-)
- East Asian Studies representative, University Council of Modern Languages, 2017-2020
- Council member (2023-), Vice-Chair (2025), Chair (2025-) Universities' China Committee in London
- Co-Editor in Chief, New Perspectives on Languages (2023-)
- Editorial Board, Men and Masculinities (2025-)
- Editorial Board, Journal of Integrated Cultural Studies (2026-)
- Editorial Board, NORMA: International Journal for Masculinity Studies (2026-)
PhD Supervision Interests
I welcome PhD proposals taking a cultural studies approach to topics relating to Chinese/Sinophone/Confucian masculinities and gender identities/relations more broadly, feminist activism and theory, class identities and social stratification, and health and wellbeing. I also welcome proposals on critical language pedagogy in Chinese language education and across other languages, informed by critical sociolinguistics, which employ e.g. decolonising and social justice approaches.
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01/07/2026 → 31/12/2026
Research
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01/04/2023 → 31/07/2023
Other
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17/03/2023 → 31/07/2023
Research
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01/01/1900 → …
Research
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01/01/1900 → …
Other
Other
Participation in conference - Academic
Participation in conference - Academic
Other
Invited talk
Invited talk
Invited talk
Invited talk
Public Lecture/ Debate/Seminar
Other
Other
Festival/Exhibition/Concert
Other
Participation in conference - Academic
Other
Participation in conference - Academic
Other
School Engagement
Participation in workshop, seminar, course
Editorial activity
Oral presentation
Other
Editorial activity
Invited talk
Participation in workshop, seminar, course
Other
School Engagement
Types of Public engagement and outreach - Festival/Exhibition
Other
Public Lecture/ Debate/Seminar
Invited talk
Invited talk
Participation in conference -Mixed Audience
Participation in conference -Mixed Audience
School Engagement
Editorial activity
Invited talk
Public Lecture/ Debate/Seminar
Invited talk
Participation in workshop, seminar, course
- Culture and Communication Research Network (CULCOM)