Anti-Racist Scholar-Activism: Challenges, Contradictions and Possibilities

Against a backdrop of multiple social, political and economic crises, this talk is concerned with the responsibilities of academics. It explores key themes from a research project exploring 'antiracist scholar-activism' in British universities in order to offer some broad guiding principles that might help define antiracist scholar-activist praxis. In doing so, it considers the challenges and contradictions that arise from working in neoliberal-imperial-institutionally-racist universities, whilst also tentatively suggesting that there remain pockets of possibility to subvert the institution and work in service to communities of resistance.

Laura Connelly is a Senior Lecturer in Sociology and Criminology at the University of Sheffield, UK. She serves as a Steering Group member of the Northern Police Monitoring Project, is a Trustee of the sex worker charity National Ugly Mugs, and chairs the international network, the Sex Work Research Hub.

Remi Joseph-Salisbury is Reader in Sociology at the University of Manchester. He is a Steering Group member of the Northern Police Monitoring Project, an advisory board member for the youth group Kids of Colour, an academic associate for the Stuart Hall Foundation, and a council member for the Institute of Race Relations. He is also a founding member of the No Police in Schools campaign.