CRaB was officially launched on 8 January 2016 with a talk by Professor John Solomos of the University of Warwick. John is one of Britain’s foremost scholars of race and racism and spoke on the topic of ‘Conceptualising 21st Century Racisms’.
Following an introduction by the University of Portsmouth’s Pro-Vice Chancellor for Research and Innovation Professor Pal Ahluwalia John spoke about how the theoretical advances in the study of race and racism that emerged in the 1980s and 1990s – notions such as the ‘new racism’ or ‘cultural racism’ – were still highly salient today in relation to recent reconfigurations of racism towards particular targets today, notably religious minorities or ‘economic migrants’. Specific concerns were raised by John regarding the notion, which has gained respectability in recent years, that a limit to diversity in Britain has been reached and that ‘British culture’ is suffering as a result.
A lively Q&A followed, with contributions from several of the more than 60 attendees. Many of us went on for a meal to celebrate a successful launch. We would like to thank John for his contribution and wish him, and his beloved West Brom, well!