Westminster Conversations invites colleagues, students and guests to attend a talk with Dr Gurnam Singh.
About this event
Though demands for anti-racism are not new, the experience of COVID 19, and the Murder of George Floyd in May 2020, which sparked protests around the world, brought issues of systemic and structural racism and the ongoing violence’s of coloniality to the fore across many fields and sectors, and higher education is no exception. For racially minoritized students, as well the experience of direct racism and microaggressions, structural racism is clearly evidenced in data on racial disparities reassociated with admissions, progression, academic ‘dishonesty’ disciplinary mechanisms, degree awarding and graduate outcomes. For non-white staff, obstacles in recruitment, selection, and progression, and being subjected to disproportionate levels of surveillance, are commonly reported. Combining a range of theoretical orientations drawn from black and post/anti-colonial studies, critical/radical pedagogy and complexity theory, this presentation will seek to uncover the nature of the problem of racism in higher education and the possibility of designing anti-racist interventions that are able to disrupt and ultimately eradicate racism.
About the speaker
Dr Gurnam Singh PhD, NTF, FRSA
Dr Gurnam Singh is an activist researcher, writer, and educator. His work is dedicated to highlighting and disrupting systems and mechanisms of power, privilege and violence that lead to human suffering and inequity. Presently, he has a fractional post as Associate Professor of Education Attainment at Coventry University. He also holds several visiting posts: Associate Professor of Sociology, University of Warwick; Professor of Social Work, University of Chester; and Fellow in Race and Education, University of Arts, London. He grew up in an inner-city poor working-class multi-ethnic community and his struggles against poverty, exclusion, racism, and state violence have shaped his approach to life and learning. In 2005 was awarded a Doctorate in Sociology from the University of Warwick, in 2009, in 2009 he was awarded a National Teaching Fellowship (NTF), and in 2018 Dr Singh was made a Fellow of the Royal Society of the Arts (FRSA). Dr Singh has published 4 books and 40 book chapters and peer-review journal articles and numerous monographs, research reports, conference papers, blogs, and newspaper articles on a wide range of issues related to social justice, anti-racism. In health, social care and education.
The event will be chaired by Professor Dibyesh Anand.
Please send any queries about this event to Grace Egbewole-Adereti, Equality Diversity and Inclusion Programme Co-ordinator: [email protected]
