Rupa Huq

Dr Rupa Huq
Huq in 2015
Native name	রূপা আশা হক
Born	Rupa Asha Huq (1972-04-02) 2 April 1972 Hammersmith, London, England
Residence	Ealing, London, England
Nationality	British
Ethnicity	Bengali
Education	BA in Political and Social Sciences and Law, PhD Cultural Studies
Alma mater	Cambridge University University of East London
Occupation	Writer, columnist, politician, senior lecturer, music DJ
Employer	Kingston University
Political party	Labour
Religion	Islam
Children	1
Parent(s)	Mohammed Huq (father) Roshan Ara Huq (mother)
Relatives	Nutun Huq (sister) Konnie Huq (sister)
Website
www.rupahuq.co.uk

Rupa Asha Huq (Bengali: রূপা আশা হক; born 2 April 1972) is an English writer, columnist, Labour Party politician, senior lecturer in sociology at Kingston University and former Deputy Mayor of the London Borough of Ealing. In November 2013, she was chosen as the Labour prospective parliamentary candidate for Ealing Central and Acton constituency at the 2015 UK general election.

Early life

Huq's father, Mohammed Muszuddin Abedul Huq (23 November 1935 – 5 September 2014),^[1][2] and mother, Roshan Ara Huq, came to Britain in the 1960s so their children could have good opportunities and a higher level of education than if they stayed in Bangladesh.^[1] Huq's father was training to become an actuary for Prudential, however gave it up to start an Indian restaurant in Soho, London. After the recession of the early 1990s the council did not renew the restaurant's lease so the business folded. He started another restaurant in Harrow but has since retired.^[3]

Huq was born in Queen Charlotte's Hospital, Hammersmith, London, England. She attended Montpelier Primary School in Ealing and at the age of eight was featured in the BBC Schools series Look and Read when the programme visited the school.^[4]

She attended Notting Hill & Ealing High School. In 1993, she graduated with a 2:1 in BA Political and Social Sciences and Law from Cambridge University. In 1999, she completed a PhD in cultural studies thesis on youth culture at the University of East London,^[5] comparing young people in East London and the Alsace region of France,^[6] which included being a post-graduate at Strasbourg II University in France during which time she also worked at the European Parliament for the Labour Party,^[7] shadowing Labour MEP Carole Tongue.^[8]

Teaching career

In 1998, Huq moved to Manchester.^[8] From 1998 to 2004, She was a lecturer at University of Manchester,^[5] during which she held a Leverhulme Trust Fellowship.^[9]

Since September 2004, Huq was a senior lecturer in Sociology and Criminology at Kingston University^[6] in the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences.^[9] She also teaches Media and Cultural Studies.^[10]

Writing and media career

Huq has a column in Tribune, and regularly contributes to The Guardian, New Statesman, Progress magazine^[11] and The Times Higher Education Supplement.^[4]

Huq's research specialism has chiefly been youth culture and pop music.^[6] In 2006, her book Beyond Subculture: youth, pop and identity in a post-colonial world^[12] on these themes was published. It was subsequently one of five titles shortlisted for the 2007 British Sociological Association Philip Abrams Memorial prize.^[7][9] In May 2012, her second book Making Sense of Suburbia through Popular Culture was published.^[1][13] Huq was a contributor to the 2011 book What Next for Labour? Ideas for a new generation, published by Queensferry Publishing.

In 1980, Huq made her first television appearance on the BBC's Schools Programme holding a telescope. She has since appeared on Channel S and Bangla TV as well as Channel 4 News and BBC News 24.^[4] On radio, she has been on the Today programme on BBC Radio 4, BBC Radio 5 Live and BBC Asian Network.^[4]

Political career

Huq was a researcher for Tony Banks and Patricia Hewitt. In 2004, she stood as a candidate for Labour in the European Parliament election in the North West.^[7][14]

In 2005, she stood as the Labour parliamentary candidate in the safe Conservative seat of Chesham and Amersham in Buckinghamshire (Conservative majority of 11,882) at the 2005 general election.^[15] She received 6,610 votes,^[14] losing to the Conservative candidate Cheryl Gillan who had 11,882 votes.^[10]

Huq was one of three Labour candidates standing for a council seat in Walpole in the constituency of Ealing.^[14] In 2010, after the local elections, she became the Deputy Mayor of the London Borough of Ealing for the municipal year 2010^[16] – 2011.^[17]

On 2 November 2013, Huq was chosen by Labour as their prospective parliamentary candidate for Ealing Central and Acton constituency to challenge Conservative MP Angie Bray at the 2015 UK general election.^[10][18][19] She was one of 15 Labour candidates each given financial support of £10,000 by Lord Matthew Oakeshott, the former Liberal Democrat, in January 2015. ^[20]

Personal life

Huq has a son Rafi (born 2004).^[21] Her elder sister Nutun is an architect.^[22] Her younger sister is former Blue Peter presenter Konnie Huq.^[23][24] In 2008, her father was diagnosed with prostate cancer.^[25]

Huq is also a music DJ under the stage name "Dr Huq" and recorded a jingle for John Peel in Bengali. She first started DJ-ing for a hospital radio station at the age of 17.^[8]

Books

Year	Title	Publisher	ISBN
2006	Beyond Subculture: Pop, Youth and Identity in a Postcolonial World	Bloomsbury Academic	ISBN 978-0415278157
2013	Making Sense of Suburbia Through Popular Culture	Routledge	ISBN 978-1780932248
	On The Edge: The Contested Cultures of English Suburbia	Lawrence and Wishart	ISBN 978-1907103728

See also

• British Bangladeshi
• List of British Bangladeshis
• List of English writers
• List of Muslim writers and poets

References

External links

Official website Rupa Huq at the Internet Movie Database Rupa Huq on Twitter Rupa Huq on theguardian.com Rupa Huq on New Statesman Rupa Huq on Tribune Rupa Huq on The Huffington Post Rupa Huq on Economic and Social Research Council

A week in the life of...Rupa Huq Huq, Rupa. From the margins to mainstream? Representations of British Asian youth musical cultural expression from bhangra to Asian underground music. February 2003 Burgin, Paul. Interview with Rupa Huq. SoundCloud. March 2012