Dr Philip Kiszely

Profile

I am Lecturer in Performance and Cultural Histories. Like many academics, I came to the profession via an unorthadox route. I started as a musician in Manchester, curiously enough – and failed massively! So, starting again from scratch, university seemed a logical next step. I read Drama at Manchester and specialised in film history. After an MA in Screen Studies I embarked on PhD research, which took me to, among other places, Hollywood. I completed my thesis, which dealt with screen adaptations of ‘hard-boiled’ US literature (Raymond Chandler, Dashiell Hammett, Mickey Spillane), in 2003. For the next couple of years, along with part-time teaching, I worked at transforming the bare bones of my thesis into a monograph. The result was the award-nominated Hollywood Through Private Eyes, published by Peter lang in 2006. It was around this time that I began working at Leeds, first as Research Fellow in Drama, then as a lecturer.

In 2011, I co-founded the Punk & Post-Punk international peer-reviewed journal, which I went on to edit for five years. I currently sit on two editorial boards – Punk & Post-Punk and the Anthem Series on Television Studies – and my recent publications have all concerned themselves with representations of British culture and history on 1970s television. The key themes of my work are all related, in one way or another, to late 20^th century British cultural and political history. My approach is grounded in classical liberalism, and I have a particular interests in conservative politics and freedom of expression. 

In 2022 I was awarded a Senior Fellowship at the New Culture Forum (NCF) think tank and media outlet. I work as a cultural and political commentator, appearing weekly on the NCF’s Newspeak current affairs show. I can be seen regularly on GB News, too, offering commentary and analysis on shows such Dewbs & Co. and Alastair Stewart & Friends. My 2022 documentary film, ‘The War On Our History’,  Episode 8 of the NCF’s acclaimed Heresies series, can be seen on YouTube.

Responsibilities

• Admissions Lead

Research interests

Research interests include: 20th century British cultural and political histories; conservative politics; film, television and popular performance histories; British cultural heritage; 1950-1970s popular culture and music; genre literature (detective, espionage and adventure).

<h4>Research projects</h4> <p>Any research projects I'm currently working on will be listed below. Our list of all <a href="https://ahc.leeds.ac.uk/dir/research-projects">research projects</a> allows you to view and search the full list of projects in the faculty.</p>

Qualifications

• PHD in Film and Literature
• MA in Drama and Screen Studies (Distinction)
• BA in Drama (Hons) First Class

Professional memberships

• Editorial Board member: The Anthem Television Studies series http://www.anthempress.com/
• Editorial Board member: Punk & Post-Punk https://www.intellectbooks.co.uk/journals/view-Journal,id=200/
• Senior Fellow: New Culture Forum

Student education

My student education experience is long and varied, with responsibilities that have ranged from degree programme management to outreach and public engagement. Most recently, I was Director of Student Education for the School of Performance and Cultural Industries. I held the post for four years. 

I teach on a variety of cultural history and research methods modules at UG and PGT.   

<h4>Postgraduate research opportunities</h4> <p>We welcome enquiries from motivated and qualified applicants from all around the world who are interested in PhD study. Our <a href="https://phd.leeds.ac.uk">research opportunities</a> allow you to search for projects and scholarships.</p>