Episode 10

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Published on:

26th Jan 2022

Prof Jason Arday - Being Young, Black and Male: Challenging the Dominant Discourse

How do stereotypes about Black masculinity influence the lives and aspirations of Black men and boys today? What impacts do they have on individuals and institutions - and how are people of colour challenging such prejudices? How should white people - and especially white men - respond, and what should they do to support the struggle against racism? We explore these questions and much more with Professor Jason Arday, who is based in Durham University’s Department of Sociology like Stephen and Sandy, and is about to move to the School of Education at the University of Glasgow.

Jason is a Trustee of the Runnymede Trust, the UK’s leading Race Equality Thinktank, and the British Sociological Association. He also sits on the Centre for Labour and Social Studies (CLASS) National Advisory Panel and the NHS Race and Health Observatory Academic Reference Group, as well as being a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts (RSA). He holds Visiting Fellowships at several institutions including Ohio State University.

We cover the following topics in this episode:

  • The ‘Colston Four’ verdict and removing statues of colonial figures
  • Responses to the Black Lives Matter movement in the UK
  • How Black masculinities are viewed, and the effects this has
  • Struggles around ‘talking to white people about race’
  • Resisting racist stereotypes, and Jason’s upcoming book ‘Being Young, Black and Male: Challenging the dominant discourse’
  • How Jason got involved in researching these issues
  • Jason’s experience of growing up and dealing with disability as a Black man
  • The role of the education system in tackling race inequality
  • How Covid-19 has interacted with structural racism in the UK
  • Principles for white people in becoming genuine allies 
  • Music which reflects the challenges Jason has faced

Resources of interest:

Explainers:

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About the Podcast

Now and Men
Current conversations about men's lives
What's it like to be a man in the 21st century? How are feminist issues relevant to men and boys? These questions are being discussed more than ever.

Our monthly podcast delves into these issues with experts such as practitioners, activists and academics. In each episode, you’ll hear in-depth conversations about masculinity, gender equality, and the lives of men and boys, with topics ranging from preventing violence against women, to promoting active fatherhood, to supporting men's health.

The podcast is created and hosted by Dr Stephen Burrell, Sandy Ruxton and Professor Nicole Westmarland, who are researchers from the Centre for Research into Violence and Abuse (CRiVA), in the Department of Sociology at Durham University in the UK. If you would like to give us your feedback, suggest a guest, or have a question you'd like us to discuss, get in touch with us at nowandmen@gmail.com.

About your hosts

Stephen Burrell

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I am a Leverhulme Early Career Research Fellow in the Department of Sociology at Durham University in the UK, and a Deputy Director of the Centre for Research into Violence and Abuse (CRiVA). My research is about men and masculinities - especially preventing men's violence against women, and currently, engaging men and boys in caring for the planet. I'm also a trustee for White Ribbon UK and on the steering group for Changing Relations CIC. In my spare time I'm a big fan of drinking tea and being in nature.

Sandy Ruxton

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Honorary Research Fellow in the Department of Sociology at Durham University (UK). Independent researcher, expert on men and masculinities. Previous policy work on human rights, children and families, poverty and social exclusion, and asylum and migration. Programme experience with boys and young men in schools, community, and prisons. Steering Committee member, MenEngage Europe. Volunteer for OX4 Food Crew. Chess-player, bike-rider, tree-hugger. Great grandfather edited Boy's Own Paper, but was sacked.