We are quickly approaching the end of another academic year for Race, Roots & Resistance!
It's almost four years since the Collective was founded back in 2018 with the aim of bringing together staff, students and community members across Manchester who share a commitment to critical study and action respondent to race and racism in the spaces we live, study and work. So let's take a look at some of the highlights from the past year...
R3 Works in Progress Seminar
This was a bumper year for the R3 Works in Progress Seminar which aims to provide a supportive and critical space for researchers - including staff, students, and independent/community scholars - to share their work. We hosted six seminars featuring a multidisciplinary group of scholars including Anna Catalani, Jesús F. Cháirez-Garza, Nicole Gipson, Caroline Parker, Denise James, and Dharmi Kapadia. If you would be interested in joining the seminar next year please email us at racerootsresist@gmail.com.
R3 Black History Month Film Series
During Black History Month R3 members collaborated to host a film series spotlighting recently released films focused on Black British history. Jack Webb (History) and postgraduate student Serena Roberts Lawson led a discussion of the 'Mangrove' episode of Steve McQueen's remarkable 2021 series Small Axe. Later in the month, Kerry Pimblott (History) and Remi Joseph-Salisbury (Sociology) facilitated a discussion of George Amponsah's documentary film Black Power: A British Story of Resistance (2021).
R3 Third Annual Undergraduate Research Symposium
One of the high points of the year was the return of the R3 Undergraduate Research Symposium. This event is designed to spotlight new research undertaken by undergraduate students across Manchester. In past years we had focused our attention on students enrolled on History and joint honours degrees. But, this year - with gracious support from the Enhancing Research Culture Fund - we expanded the event to include students in all Arts, Humanities and Social Science subjects.
The event has a dual focus on supporting a new generation of multi-ethnic researchers and advancing cutting-edge research on race, racism and anti-racism. Accordingly, submissions were encouraged from students of colour on any research topic and from all students engaged in critical race-related projects.
The final event featured twelve student presenters from across year groups and undergraduate programmes including History, Geography, Sociology, Drama and Film Studies. Students delivered conference style papers on four panels focused on issues of 'Race, Gender and Diasporic Identities in Modern Britain', 'Cultural Studies of Gender and Sexuality in Africa and the Diaspora', 'Reflections on Institutional Racism in Britain's Public Health, Education and Criminal Justice Systems', and 'Histories of Race, Caste and Gendered Resistance to Empire'. The event also featured a 40-minute live performance delivered by Drama and Screen Studies student, Amy Townsend-Lowcock - titled, 'My Fruits: An Interdisciplinary Approach to Documenting Black British History'.
Special Roundtable: Demystifying Postgraduate Study and Taking Your Research to the Next Level
At the conclusion of the symposium, we hosted a closing roundtable and networking event on progression to postgraduate study. The roundtable was co-designed with four University of Manchester PGR's - Jake Gandy (History), Abhinava Goswami (History), Parise Carmichael-Murphy (MIE), and Siobhan O'Neill (Politics) - and aimed to demystify postgraduate study by discussing some of the challenges and benefits of taking your research to the next level.
R3 Pipeline Workshop: 'How do I apply for a PhD?' with Dr Jerome De Groot
In May, we hosted a bespoke lunchtime workshop and networking opportunity designed for people who are thinking about doing a PhD in the Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences. The event was open to current undergraduate and postgraduate students as well as non-traditional students and those that may have finished their degree and considering a return to education. Dr Jerome De Groot, Director of the North West Consortium Doctoral Training Partnership (NWCDTP), was on hand to deliver a presentation on the reasons to apply, the various funding pathways, and how to craft a strong application. This event was funded by the Enhancing Research Culture Fund and was part of our wider spring programme of events targeted at supporting a new generation of diverse researchers working on critical race related research.
R3 Awards Ceremony 2022
We closed out the semester with the first Race, Roots & Resistance Awards Ceremony jointly hosted with the University of Manchester History Department. The event was designed to recognise staff and students who have made a difference in anti-racist research, teaching and activism. Award categories included 'Award for Research Excellence', 'Award for Outstanding Contributions to Anti-Racist Scholar-Activism', and 'Award for Outstanding Contributions to the Promotion of Inclusive Learning Environments.'
This year's winners were....
Amy Townsend-Lowcock (3rd Year, Drama) - Award for Research Excellence
Artemis Christinaki (PGR, SEED and HCRI) - PG Award for Outstanding Contributions to Anti-Racist Scholar Activism
Amina Beg (2nd Year, Drama) - UG Award for Outstanding Contributions to Anti-Racist Scholar Activism
Dr Mihaela Popa-Wyatt (Lecturer in Philosophy) - Award for Outstanding Contributions to the Promotion of Inclusive Learning Environments
Congratulations to all our nominees and awardees! It was wonderful to celebrate your important contributions to our community - seen and unseen.
Coming this summer..... The 2022 Emerging Scholars Programme!
This summer, Race, Roots & Resistance members will be leading an 'Emerging Scholars' programme in which five postgraduate taught students will undertake original research on the legacies of slavery at the University of Manchester. The scholars will partner with our new Legacies of Slavery at the University of Manchester Network as well as the John Rylands Research Institute. Stay tuned for more updates on their findings.
Thanks and a plug for next year!
Many thanks to all of the R3 members who helped to organise events and activities in 2021/22. This summer we will be brainstorming plans for the year to come and all of your ideas and suggestions are welcomed. Please email racerootsresist@gmail.com if you would like to get involved!
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