Professor Patrick Duggan

I am an interdisciplinary scholar and academic leader whose work explores the cultural, political, and social functions of performance in times of crisis. I’m fascinated by why we (still) make performance—what it does, what it means, and how it shapes the world around us. My research engages with contemporary aesthetic practices and everyday performance events, from protests and carnival parades to political speeches and media representations, asking how performance helps us witness, respond to, and make sense of complex social realities.

My work is rooted in critical performance studies and driven by a commitment to collaboration, impact, and cultural advocacy. I co-lead Performing City Resilience, a research organisation/project that works internationally to understand how performance can reconfigure ideas and practices of resilience in organisational, community, and city contexts. I’ve led major international research projects working with and across higher education, healthcare, emergency planning, and policy sectors, and my research has been commissioned for non-academic contexts and widely published.

As Head of Winchester School of Art, I provide strategic leadership for one of the UK’s leading creative schools. I guide WSA’s vision as a globally engaged, research-led, and socially responsive institution, championing interdisciplinarity and innovation in creative education and research. I also oversee multi-site growth, resource planning, and civic partnerships, working to build inclusive academic cultures where creativity and critical inquiry thrive.

I welcome enquiries from prospective PhD students interested in any area that aligns with my research expertise—particularly those exploring performance, culture, resilience, and the socio-political dimensions of contemporary cultural production.

Before joining Southampton in July 2025, I held substantive posts at the Universities of Northampton (2009-12), Exeter (2012-15), Surrey (2015-19) and Northumbria (2020-2025). I have also been fortunate to hold visiting fellowships/professorships at a number of institutions internationally, including: Cornell (USA, 2013), the University of Galway (Ireland, 2018), and the University of Hildesheim (Germany, 2015 & 2019-20).