Stuart Hall (theorist)

Stuart Hall was a British cultural theorist and sociologist known for his influential ideas on culture, identity, and media. He argued that meaning is created through cultural practices and communication, emphasizing how messages can be interpreted differently by various audiences. Hall introduced concepts like "encoding" and "decoding" to explain how media produce and convey meaning. He also explored race, ethnicity, and representation, highlighting the complexities of identity in society. His work laid the foundation for cultural studies, affecting how we understand the relationship between culture, power, and everyday life.