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Paul Gilroy

ポール・ギルロイ

Pōru Giruroi

Profile

Gender
Male
Born
1956-02-16 （East End, London, England）
Nationality
British
Languages
English

Career

Occupations
sociologist, cultural studies scholar, humanities scholar, professor
Active Years
1980-
Affiliations
South Bank Polytechnic (later London South Bank University), University of Essex, Goldsmiths, University of London, Yale University, London School of Economics (LSE), King's College London, University College London (UCL)
Memberships
British Academy (Fellow), Royal Society of Literature (Fellow), American Academy of Arts & Sciences (International Honorary Member), King's College London (Fellow)
Influenced By
Stuart Hall, Beryl Gilroy (mother)
Influenced
Omise’eke Natasha Tinsley, Isabel Hofmeyr, Stephanie E. Smallwood, Tsitsi Ella Jaji

Education

University College School
Country: United Kingdom
Secondary education (attended)
University of Sussex
Degree: BA
Period: 1975–1978
Year of Graduation: 1978
Country: United Kingdom
Bachelor's degree
University of Birmingham
Degree: PhD
Period: 1980s（博士課程）
Year of Graduation: 1986
Country: United Kingdom
Doctoral thesis: Racism, Class and the Contemporary Cultural Politics of "Race" and "Nation"

Awards

Holberg Prize
2019
Organization: Holberg Prize (Holbergprisen)
Result: 受賞
American Book Award
1994
Work: The Black Atlantic
Organization: Before Columbus Foundation
Result: 受賞
Fellow of the British Academy
2014
Organization: British Academy
Result: 選出
Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature
2014
Organization: Royal Society of Literature
Result: 選出
International Honorary Member of the American Academy of Arts & Sciences
2018
Organization: American Academy of Arts & Sciences
Result: 選出
Honorary doctorates (multiple)
2016
Organization: Goldsmiths, University of London / University of Liège / University of Sussex / University of Copenhagen / University of Oxford, etc.
Result: 授与

Awards & Nominations

Works

Major Works

There Ain't No Black in the Union Jack

1987 non-fiction (cultural studies)

An early major work examining the cultural politics of race and nation in Britain, discussing immigration, black culture and policy.

racenationcultural politics
Translations
  • English original

The Black Atlantic: Modernity and Double Consciousness

1993 non-fiction (diaspora studies, cultural studies)

A foundational work proposing the concept of the "Black Atlantic," analysing transnational cultural exchanges of the African diaspora and critiquing nation-centred cultural frameworks.

diasporamovementdouble consciousnessmusic and culture
Translations
  • Translated into Italian, French, Japanese, Portuguese and Spanish

Small Acts: Thoughts on the Politics of Black Cultures

1993 essays / academic

A collection of essays and reflections on the politics of black cultures and everyday practices.

cultural politicseveryday practices

Between Camps (published as Against Race in the US)

2000 academic critique

A theoretical reassessment of race discourse and the relationship between culture and politics (published in the US as Against Race).

race theoryculture and politics

After Empire (published as Postcolonial Melancholia in the US)

2004 postcolonial studies

Essays on the cultural aftereffects of empire and the melancholia of post-imperial contexts.

postcolonialismmemorycultural melancholia

Darker Than Blue: On The Moral Economies of Black Atlantic Culture

2010 cultural studies

Examines moral economies, music and representation within Black Atlantic culture.

musicmoral economiesrepresentation

Bibliography

  • 1982: The Empire Strikes Back: Race and Racism in '70s Britain (co-author)
  • 1987: There Ain't No Black in the Union Jack
  • 1993: The Black Atlantic: Modernity and Double Consciousness
  • 1993: Small Acts: Thoughts on the Politics of Black Cultures
  • 2000: Between Camps (published in US as Against Race)
  • 2004: After Empire (Postcolonial Melancholia)
  • 2010: Darker Than Blue: On The Moral Economies of Black Atlantic Culture

Translations of Works

  • The Black Atlantic has been translated into Italian, French, Japanese, Portuguese and Spanish

Style & Themes

Literary Style
interdisciplinary analysisinfluenced by critical theorycultural studies approach
Recurring Motifs
music and rhythmocean/routes imagerydiasporadouble consciousness

Legacy

Paul Gilroy's concept of the "Black Atlantic" has had major impact on diaspora and cultural studies. His interdisciplinary work on race, music and mobility is internationally recognized; he received the Holberg Prize in 2019 among other honors.

Academic Societies

  • British Academy
  • Royal Society of Literature
  • American Academy of Arts & Sciences (honorary)

Quotes

  • “Black survival depends upon forging a new means to build alliances above and beyond petty issues like language, religion, skin colour, and to a lesser extent gender.”
    Source: Paul Gilroy, The Black Atlantic (chapter 1) (1993)

Trivia

  • His mother was novelist Beryl Gilroy.
  • He won the Holberg Prize in 2019.
  • In 2020 he became the founding director of UCL's Sarah Parker Remond Centre.
  • He is married to writer and academic Vron Ware.