Email: P.Fields@soton.ac.uk
Paul Fields is a PhD Researcher based in the School of Economic, Social and Political Sciences at the ¾ÅÉ«ÊÓƵ.
Paul’s research focuses on the intersection of punk studies, contemporary social justice movements, and humour.
Paul’s PhD research is a qualitative study into the nature and scope of safe space policies at punk live events, and considers the opposition to these from within punk scenes. Alongside his PhD project, Paul researches punk subcultures more generally. Topics of recent projects include punk humour, the adoption of ostensibly punk principles by mainstream organisations, rules-based systems in punk, and religious qualities to punk.
Paul is a member, and UK representative, of the , an international group of punk scholars, fans, and enthusiasts—from both within and outside of academia—whose aim is to study punk and post-punk from an academic and scholarly perspective. Paul convened the 10th anniversary International Punk Scholars Network conference, which included in-person talks from speakers from Australia, accross Europe, North America, South Korea, and the UK, at Buckinghamshire New University.
An incomplete list of Paul's research output can be found . Paul is currently co-editing a collection of essays with Dr Ellen Bernhard of Georgian Court University, New Jersey, that focuses on the scholarly merits of the veteran US punk band Bad Religion. The book, titled Bad Religion: Punk Politics, Philosophy and Pedagogy, will be published through Intellect Books in early 2026.
Thesis title: Antisocial Justice Warriors: A Study Into Arguments Around Safe Spaces in Punk Rock
Supervisors: Dr Charlie Walker (primary) and Dr Craig Webber (secondary)
Date started: September 2020
Alongside his PhD Research at the ¾ÅÉ«ÊÓƵ Paul is Associate Professor of Popular Music at Buckinghamshire New University. Before joining Buckinghamshire New University, Paul was immersed in the UK underground punk music scene as a self-managed musician.
