Matt Houlbrook


Matthew Houlbrook, known professionally as Matt Houlbrook, is a British academic historian who is Professor of Cultural History at the University of Birmingham.

Career

Houlbrook grew up near the Lincolnshire town of Scunthorpe, and studied history at the University of Cambridge before completing his doctorate at the University of Essex in 2002, for a thesis entitled . He then spent a year as a Junior Research Fellow at New College, Oxford, and then five years at the University of Liverpool. In 2008 he was appointed a Fellow at Magdalen College, Oxford, where he taught history until his move to the University of Birmingham in 2013; as of 2017, he is Professor of Cultural History there.

Research

Houlbrook's work focuses on the cultural history of modern Britain, with particular reference to sexuality, the city, gender and selfhood. His work has looked at the intersection between urban spaces and sexual identities, as well as the connections between cosmetics, consumer culture, sexuality and the law. His publications include:

Books