Edward is a graduate student with a B.A in History and an M.A. in Modern History from the University of Sheffield. His main research is focused on masculinities and working-class culture in the British punk movement from 1976-1984.
His dissertation explores the relationship between working-class masculinities and punk in 1970s Britain. It analyzes how working-class people navigated a period of economic turmoil through the consumption of popular music, low-budget do-it-yourself (DIY) production, and urban spaces. His research expands on Matthew Worley’s historical overview of punk by focusing on gender and youth culture. By framing this study in terms of masculinity, it places social experience alongside cultural representation. Even though the punk movement initially embraced women as cultural producers, punk came to be understood as an articulation of violent, working-class masculinity. His project interrogates this categorization by looking at the lived experiences of young men and women as well as their self-representations. This research draws from oral testimonies, newspapers, court records, documentary footage, and punk ephemera, such as fanzines, posters, photographs, and clothing.