Black Lives Matter: Understanding the Politics of ‘Race’ and Racism

This webinar will examine the aims of the current global Black Lives Matter protests, and offer a thorough understanding of some of the key activities, such as taking down statues of historical figures. It will look closely at the history and politics of racism by exploring the role of Enlightenment thought and transatlantic slavery. It will trace the roots of racism during colonial times to establish where racial categories come from, and discuss how racist ascribed characteristics, such as ideas about superiority and inferiority, became a fundamental part of everyday language and culture in Western societies.

The key question this webinar seeks to address is how have racist views survived from colonial times to permeate institutions such as the criminal justice system and the police, resulting in the police violence that continues to torment black and ethnic minority communities?