Dr Derek Hird
Director of the Confucius Institute, 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)
DELC416: Academic and Professional Methods in Translation
DELC420: Translation Project
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 most recent China-focused project looks at Chinese male beauty vlogging and makeup for men. 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, particularly involving 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
- 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-) and Vice-Chair (2025-) Universities' China Committee in London
- Co-Editor in Chief, New Perspectives on Languages (2023-)
- Editorial Board, Men and Masculinities (2025-)
PhD Supervision Interests
I welcome PhD proposals taking a cultural studies approach to topics relating to Chinese/Sinophone masculinities and gender identities and relations more broadly, feminist activism and theory, class identities and social stratification, and health and wellbeing. I also welcome proposals on critical language pedagogy across different languages, informed by critical sociolinguistics, which employ e.g. decolonising and social justice approaches.
Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences Strategic Internationalisation Fund 2022/2023
01/04/2023 → 31/07/2023
Other
Culture and Communication: Global Perspectives on Business, Education and Health
01/01/1900 → …
Other
Lancaster University Online Asia Careers Fair
Other
International Conference on Globalisation/deglobalisation in Languages, Education, Culture and Communication 2025
Participation in conference - Academic
University Council for Languages Summer Plenary 2025
Other
British Chinese Language Teaching Society Annual Conference 2025
Participation in conference - Academic
North West Confucius Institute Dragon Boat Race
Other
Sharing Good Practices in Teaching Chinese Language and Cultures in the AI Era
Participation in workshop, seminar, course
Intercultural communication teaching for English language students at Xidian University, China
Other
Critical Pedagogies for Modern Languages Education: Gender-inclusive pronouns in the Chinese language classroom
Invited talk
Language and Culture in Global Perspectives: Cross-cultural, Intercultural, and Transcultural Communication
Participation in workshop, seminar, course
Secondary schools CPD
Types of Public engagement and outreach - Festival/Exhibition
Makeup for men and male beauty vlogging in contemporary China
Public Lecture/ Debate/Seminar
Critical Pedagogies for Modern Languages Education: Gender-inclusive pronouns in the Chinese language classroom
Invited talk
Critical Pedagogies for Modern Languages Education: Gender-inclusive pronouns in the Chinese language classroom
Invited talk
Languages in Science GLOBAL
Participation in conference -Mixed Audience
New Perspectives on Languages (Journal)
Editorial activity
Languages in science and science in languages
Invited talk
Makeup for men and male beauty vlogging in contemporary China
Public Lecture/ Debate/Seminar
Critical Pedagogy in Modern Foreign Languages Education
Invited talk
Masculinities in China and Chinese Masculinities: Roundtable Discussion.
Participation in workshop, seminar, course
- Culture and Communication Research Network (CULCOM)