I went to Oxford Brookes University as a mature student and took a joint honours degree in English Studies with History. I then moved to Sussex to take the English Literature masters programme, Sexual Dissidence and Cultural Change. After which I moved back into History for my Dphil research, 'Gay Men and the Revolutionary Left in Britain since 1957 - Tracing the development of Identity Politics', which was awarded in 2003. It was published as 'Gay Men and the Left in Post-war Britain: How the personal got political' by MUP in 2007. I have been developing teaching and research in the History of the 1980s which contributed to my recent book Now That's What I Can a History of the 1980s with MUP.

Collaborative History

I believe the historian's role is to engage with the widest possible historical conversations and we should produce history 'with' rather than 'on' communities. I have worked collaboratively with musicians, film makers, activist and community groups, film makers and artists.  I work closely with The Subcultures Network who are a collaboration of scholars, fans, and producers of popular culture.  

Role
I am a member of University and College Union, Professor of Collaborative History . I am also academic lead on the teaching led digitisation project Observing the Eighties and a founding organiser of the Network for Subcultures, Popular Music and Social Change.  I'm an editor the journal of Contemporary British History,  and sit on a number of advisory boards for heritage based projects. Before her death, I was also a political advisor for Vivienne Westwood's Intellectuals Unite. 

https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4597-7339