Dr. Keith Hughes

Biography

Keith Hughes holds a BA (Joint Hons) in English and American Literature from the University of Manchester and both an MSc and PhD in English Literature from the University of Edinburgh. He completed postdoctoral research at Harvard University’s W.E.B. Du Bois Institute in African American Studies, fostering his abiding interest in African American literature. Having taught at various institutions, including Napier University and the Workers Educational Association, he also holds a Diploma in Teaching in Higher Education from Birkbeck College, London, obtained in 2001. Joining the University of Edinburgh in 2001, he contributes significantly to teaching across a range of American, English, and Scottish literatures, with a focus on postgraduate teaching centered around 'the black Atlantic' and transatlantic writing. His research interests are connected broadly within the realms of African American literature and the black Atlantic, including current projects involving Frederick Douglass’s 19th-century tour of the British Isles, Richard Wright's experiences in Africa, Claude McKay’s poetry, and Jean Toomer’s relationship with European culture. Dr. Hughes is open to research proposals within the field of African American writing, particularly considering transatlantic contexts, and welcomes proposals that explore various aspects of American literature.

Research Interests