Department of Politics and International Relations
Conference Blog
Posted on 23 November 2023
1st ‘Race’ and Socially Engaged Research Conference: Disrupting Structural Racism and Building Communities of Dissent Through Transformative Research
On 14th September 2023, the Anti-Racism Working Group (ARWG) ran an inaugural, annual ‘Race’ and Socially Engaged Research conference which was designed by the group to be an open and inclusive conference for postgraduate researchers (PGRs) and early career researchers (ECRs). The ARWG is based here in the Department of Politics and International Relations and was set up by Melissa Williams, Alicia Easley and James Lewis in 2020, with several active students currently in the Department, and recently expanding to include students at York St John University who helped design and run the first conference. Mel and Susy organise various events with the ARWG throughout the academic year and have led the cross-institutional team for this year’s conference. The team are hoping the conference will run on a yearly basis and are already planning the second event which is to take place in early summer 2024.
The group wanted to provide a welcoming and accessible space for those in early career stages who may find ‘traditional’ academic conferences daunting and exclusionary, especially for racially minoritised researchers and/or those whose research centres on ‘race’ and disruptive research methodologies. A key part of this was building ‘communities of dissent’, creating strong and lasting networks that bridge different disciplines, institutions and backgrounds in a transformative and disruptive way. We aimed to create a safe space whereby scholars could develop their skills and receive peer feedback on their work, as well as engage in discussions around scholar-activism networks that stretch beyond academic institutions, thereby disrupting structural racism and other injustices that are present in academic institutions.
The conference took place at York St John University’s Creative Centre. 40 delegates from academic institutions across and outside of the UK attended. Each attendee was given a conference pack that included a branded tote bag, branded pen, branded notepad, campus map, conference booklet, name badge and stress ball. During the conference, 8 delegates presented their research on thematically organised panels and received feedback from the audience during Q&A segments. Additionally, 11 delegates had the opportunity to present their research in a visual format through A1 posters and were allocated a 1-hour time slot to discuss their research with other attendees. We were also joined by 3 invited roundtable speakers who were asked 4 questions (developed using submitted abstracts) by our chair Professor Kiran Trehan. The speakers each came from racially minoritised backgrounds and various professions and included Dr Carol Dixon (Academic), Matthew Johnson (Black Equity Organisation) and Sherquita Waller (Psychologist).
Throughout the day, delegates had access to 3 additional spaces to decompress from the potentially emotionally taxing presentations. This included a creative space, with beanbags, blankets and music, where delegates were invited to use art as a release. We also provided access to two silent decompression spaces where attendees could use stress-release materials and process information from the conference. To support accessibility and promote inclusivity, we were also joined by BSL interpreters and had accessible prayer rooms throughout the day.
The event closed with a drinks reception at the Guildhall entitled ‘Making Anti-Racism, Inclusivity and Radical Action Our Priority’, where Haddy Njie delivered a powerful keynote speech. Haddy Njie set up two local grassroots organisations called ‘Speak Up Diversity’ and ‘Inclusive Equal Rights 3.0’ and reflected upon the struggles of anti-racist activism and the importance of academic and grassroots organisation collaboration. Following the conference, a working paper will be published on our website, made up of papers from presenting delegates. We hope to make this an annual publication.
Following the conference, we received positive feedback from delegates who felt that we had created a safe, inclusive and supportive environment through which they could share their research, receive peer feedback and build cross-institutional networks. We therefore hope to secure more funding to expand and build upon this year’s conference, through further collaboration with PGRs based at York St John University, Loughborough University, Chester University and the University of Newcastle. The 2024 Conference will take place over 2 days and include further opportunities for interactive learning such as workshops.
If you or someone else would be interested in supporting us to run next year’s conference, through providing funding or joining the conference team, please get in touch with the ARWG at antiracismworkinggroup@gmail.com or @ARWG_York on Twitter.