Sean Campbell

Sean’s research explores the politics of media and popular culture. He has published a number of books and has advised on television and radio programmes.

He led the Film and Media unit’s submission to the REF in 2021, having coordinated its successful return in 2014, for which he convened an impact case study, which centred on a six-part television documentary series on which Sean was Series Adviser, and which drew on his book, 'Irish Blood, English Heart': Second-Generation Irish Musicians in England (Cork University Press). This AHRC-funded book was named Music Book of the Year in the Sunday Times.

Sean is currently writing a book on popular music and political conflict, entitled Combat Rock. He is also developing research on popular-cultural invocations of the Anglo-Scottish border.

Sean is co-convenor (and co-founder) of the Modern Irish History seminar at the University of Cambridge, which is supported by the Irish Embassy in London. He has been a member of the AHRC Peer Review College, and has appeared on Channel 4 News, the BBC World Service, RTÉ, DW-TV (Germany), CBC TV and Radio (Canada), and ABC Radio (Australia).

He has written for the Irish Times, and has been cited in The Times, the Guardian, and NME.

Research interests
The Politics of Popular Culture
Popular music
Music Journalism
Irish studies
Migration/ethnicity