Jason Arday

Last updated
Jason Arday
Born1985 (age 38–39)
Academic background
Alma mater
Institutions

Jason Arday FRSA (born 1985) is a British sociologist, writer and fundraiser best known for his research on race and racism. In March 2023, he began an appointment as Professor of Sociology of Education at the University of Cambridge, UK, becoming the youngest black person ever appointed to a professorship at Cambridge. [1] [2] He had previously been a Professor of Sociology of Education at the University of Glasgow in the College of Social Sciences, [3] and before that Associate Professor of Sociology and Deputy Executive Dean of People and Culture in the Faculty of Social Science and Health at the University of Durham, as well as visiting professor at Nelson Mandela University in the Centre for Critical Studies in Higher Education Transformation, South Africa. [4]

Contents

Early life

Arday was born in 1985 to Ghanaian parents, and is the second youngest of four brothers. [5] He grew up on a council estate in Clapham, South London. [6] He was diagnosed as autistic at 3 years old [7] and due to global developmental delay learned to speak at the age of 11 and to read and write at the age of 18. [8]

Arday went to Heathbrook Primary School in Wandsworth and Southfields Community College Secondary School in Earlsfield. Arday completed his further education at Merton College in Morden, South Wimbledon.

Research and career

Education and early career

Arday completed his undergraduate degree in Education Studies with Physical Education at the University of Surrey, before going on to study for a Master of Arts (MA) degree in education at St Mary's University, Twickenham and Postgraduate Certificate in General Education (PGCE) at the Institute of Education. He completed his master's degree in Education (MEd) at Liverpool John Moores University, where he was also awarded a Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) degree in education. His doctoral thesis was titled "An exploration of peer-mentoring among student teachers to inform reflective practice within the context of action research", and was completed in 2015; his doctoral supervisor was Philip Vickerman. He is a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (fHEA). [9] [ failed verification ]

In 2017, Arday was paired with MP and Shadow Minister for Mental Health Rosena Allin-Khan through the Operation Black Vote MP Shadowing Scheme. The scheme, for which there was "huge demand for places", is a selective training programme for "the next generation of political leaders" that develops individuals in areas such as policy, public speaking, media community activism and lobbying. [10] Today, Arday sits on the Centre for Labour and Social Studies (CLASS) National Advisory Panel. [11]

Research interests

Arday has research interests and publications in intersecting areas across education, social mobility, mental health and race. [12] [13] [14] [15] He has conducted research into Black students' experiences across universities [16] and is outspoken about the "omission" of people of colour in the academy [17] and the enduring effects of racial discrimination. [18]

Arday is known for his report for The Black Curriculum, which received widespread media interest. [19] [20] The report "explores how the current History National Curriculum systematically omits the contribution of Black British history in favour of a dominant White, Eurocentric curriculum that fails to reflect our multi-ethnic and broadly diverse society". [21] Arday continues to lobby for decolonisation of the curriculum. [22] [23]

In 2019, Arday brought together three key areas of interest, race, music and 1990s popular culture, to write Cool Britannia and Multi-ethnic Britain: Uncorking the Champagne Supernova. [24] He has written a number of other books, research papers, chapters and policy reports relating to race and racism. [25] [26]

Appointments

As well as his previous roles at the University of Glasgow and University of Durham, Arday is a visiting professor at the Nelson Mandela University and a Trustee of both the Runnymede Trust [27] and British Sociological Association (BSA).[ citation needed ] He is also an Editorial Board Member for Sociology (journal) and a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts (RSA).[ citation needed ] In Autumn 2021, Arday was announced as Professor of Sociology of Education at the University of Glasgow, making him one of the youngest Professors in the UK and the youngest Black Professor in Britain at the time of his appointment.[ citation needed ] In March, 2023, he was appointed to a professorship at the University of Cambridge, UK. At the age of 37, his appointment made him one of the youngest people ever to be appointed to a full Professorship at Oxbridge. [1]

Fundraising and charity work

In 2010, Arday ran 30 marathons in 35 days to raise money for Shelter and the Shooting Star Children's Hospice. [28]   His inspiration to support these charities came from a visit when he was 18 years old to a homeless shelter, where he "was moved and disturbed to see people struggling for something as fundamental as a roof over their head." He chose to support Shelter, saying that he "needed to do something to help people by supporting Shelter's work with homeless and badly housed families". [29]

In 2013, his charity work led to him meeting Andy Murray and being featured on ITV family programme Surprise Surprise and being a Torch Bearer for the London 2012 Olympics. [30] By 2022, Arday raised a total of over £5m for 70 different charities for a 20 year period. Arday remains a long-standing trustee of the Runnymede Trust, the UK's leading race equality think tank.

Selected publications

Related Research Articles

The term "minority group" has different usages, depending on the context. According to its common usage, the term minority group can simply be understood in terms of demographic sizes within a population: i.e. a group in society with the least number of individuals, or less than half, is a "minority". Usually a minority group is disempowered relative to the majority, and that characteristic lends itself to different applications of the term minority.

Tariq Modood, is a British Pakistani Professor of Sociology, Politics, and Public Policy at the University of Bristol. Modood is the founding director of the Centre for the Study of Ethnicity and Citizenship.

A number of different systems of classification of ethnicity in the United Kingdom exist. These schemata have been the subject of debate, including about the nature of ethnicity, how or whether it can be categorised, and the relationship between ethnicity, race, and nationality.

Joan Busfield, is a British sociologist and psychologist, Professor of Sociology at the University of Essex and former President of the British Sociological Association (2003–2005). Her research focuses on psychiatry and mental disorder.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Operation Black Vote</span> British not-for-profit national organisation

Operation Black Vote (OBV) is a British non-partisan and nonprofit national organisation established in 1996, which addresses the Black British and ethnic minority democratic deficit. OBV uses voter registration campaigns in minority ethnic communities, and encourages community engagement in minority ethnic communities to address supposed racial inequalities in areas including education, health, and employment.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cultural competence in healthcare</span> Health care services that are sensitive and responsive to the needs of diverse cultures

Cultural competence in healthcare refers to the ability for healthcare professionals to demonstrate cultural competence toward patients with diverse values, beliefs, and feelings. This process includes consideration of the individual social, cultural, and psychological needs of patients for effective cross-cultural communication with their health care providers. The goal of cultural competence in health care is to reduce health disparities and to provide optimal care to patients regardless of their race, gender, ethnic background, native languages spoken, and religious or cultural beliefs. Cultural competency training is important in health care fields where human interaction is common, including medicine, nursing, allied health, mental health, social work, pharmacy, oral health, and public health fields.

Homophobia in ethnic minority communities is any negative prejudice or form of discrimination in ethnic minority communities in the UK and USA towards people who identify as–or are perceived as being–lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender (LGBT), known as homophobia. This may be expressed as antipathy, contempt, prejudice, aversion, hatred, irrational fear, and is sometimes related to religious beliefs. A 2006 study by the Joseph Rowntree Foundation in the UK found that while religion can have a positive function in many LGB Black and Minority Ethnic (BME) communities, it can also play a role in supporting homophobia.

David Rudyard Williams is the Florence Sprague Norman and Laura Smart Norman Professor of Public Health at the Harvard School of Public Health, as well as a professor of African and African American Studies and of Sociology at Harvard University.

Patrick Philip Vernon is a British social commentator and political activist of Jamaican heritage, who works in the voluntary and public sector. He is a former Labour councillor in the London Borough of Hackney. His career has been involved with developing and managing health and social care services, including mental health, public health, regeneration and employment projects. Also a film maker and amateur cultural historian, he runs his own social enterprise promoting the history of diverse communities, as founder of Every Generation and the "100 Great Black Britons" campaign. He is also an expert on African and Caribbean genealogy in the UK. He was appointed a Clore Fellow in 2007, an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in the 2012 Birthday Honours for "services to the Reduction of Health Inequalities for Ethnic Minorities", and in 2018 was awarded an honorary doctorate from the University of Wolverhampton.

Heidi Safia Mirza is a British academic, who is Professor of Race, Faith and Culture at Goldsmiths, University of London, Professor Emerita in Equalities Studies at the UCL Institute of Education, and Visiting Professor in Social Policy at the London School of Economics (LSE). She has done pioneering research on race, gender and identity in education, multiculturalism, Islamophobia and gendered violence, and was one of the first black women professors in Britain. Mirza is author and editor of several notable books, including Young, Female and Black (1992), Black British Feminism (1997), Tackling the Roots of Racism: Lessons for Success (2005), Race Gender and Educational Desire: Why Black Women Succeed and Fail (2009), Black and Postcolonial Feminisms in New Times (2012), and Respecting Difference: Race, Faith, and Culture for Teacher Educators (2012).

Adia Harvey Wingfield is a professor of sociology at Washington University in St. Louis and the 2018 President of Sociologists for Women in Society. She is the author of several books, including No More Invisible Man: Race and Gender in Men's Work, and articles in peer-reviewed journals including Social Problems, Gender & Society, and Ethnic and Racial Studies. She has lectured internationally on her research.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Simon Woolley, Baron Woolley of Woodford</span> British politician and activist (born 1961)

Simon Andrew Woolley, Baron Woolley of Woodford, is a British politician and activist. He is the founder and director of Operation Black Vote (OBV) and Trustee of the charity Police Now.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kalwant Bhopal</span>

Kalwant Bhopal is Professor of Education and Social Justice and Director of the Centre for Research in Race & Education at the University of Birmingham. Her work explores the achievements and experiences of minority ethnic groups in education with a focus on how processes of racism, exclusion and marginalisation operate in predominantly White spaces.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Black Curriculum</span> British community interest company

The Black Curriculum is a British community interest company, founded in 2019, whose mission is "to address the lack of Black British history in the UK curriculum".

Stanley Sue is a clinical psychologist known for his contributions to the field of multicultural studies, specifically in relation to the mental health issues of ethnic minorities and the need for cultural competence in the treatment of psychological disorders. Sue is a Distinguished Professor of Clinical Psychology at Palo Alto University. His work is often cited in discussions about the educational achievements of Asian Americans and the model minority stereotype.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">White people in the United Kingdom</span> Racial and multi-ethnic group

White people in the United Kingdom are a multi-ethnic group of UK residents who identify as and are perceived to be 'white people'. White people constitute the historical and current majority of the people living in the United Kingdom, with 87.2% of the population identifying as white in the 2011 United Kingdom census.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kevin Cokley</span> American academic and author

Kevin Cokley is an African-American counselling psychologist, academic and researcher. He is University Diversity and Social Transformation Professor, Associate Chair of Diversity Initiatives, Professor of Psychology at the University of Michigan Ann Arbor. Previously he was the Oscar and Anne Mauzy Regents Professor of Educational Research and Development, Department Chair of Educational Psychology, and Professor of African and African Diaspora Studies at the University of Texas at Austin, where he directed the Institute for Urban Policy Research & Analysis. He was a Fellow of the UT System Academy of Distinguished Teachers and a Distinguished Teaching Professor at the University of Texas at Austin.

The 14th annual Powerlist, which names the 100 most influential people of African or African Caribbean heritage in the United Kingdom, was judged by an independent panel and published in November 2020, sponsored by JP Morgan & Co, PricewaterhouseCoopers, Linklaters, Refinitiv, Herman Miller, Facebook and The Executive Leadership Council. The 2021 Powerlist came in a year in which public debate on racial injustice had increased, with the Black Lives Matter (BLM) movement and global protests against police brutality. Therefore, chief executive Michael Eboda decided that the 14th Powerlist would honour those who have used their voice to advocate against racial injustice. Furthermore, the rankings highlighted the work of healthcare professionals during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, which also resulted in the awards being held virtually on 17 November 2020, hosted by Kwame Kwei-Armah.

There are various factors affecting the health of ethnic minorities in the UK due to health inequalities. The term "BAME" is often used however, the use of this term can be problematic for various reasons, such as an indicating power relations and also having a focus on skin colour. Therefore, this article will use the term ethnic minorities.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mathew Guest</span>

Mathew Guest is a British sociologist and professor of sociology of religion at Durham University. Guest is the author or editor of numerous academic books, reports, journal articles and essays. His publications cover various topics in the sociology of religion, particularly evangelical Christianity in the UK, value transmission within clergy families, and the status of Christianity and Islam within university contexts.

References

  1. 1 2 Cawley, Laurence (23 February 2023). "Cambridge University's Jason Arday becomes youngest black professor". BBC News. Cambridgeshire. Retrieved 2023-03-02.
  2. ↑ "Jason Arday appointed Professor of Sociology of Education at University of Cambridge". www.educ.cam.ac.uk. Retrieved 2023-02-26.
  3. ↑ "Professor Jason Arday" . Retrieved 2022-11-03.
  4. ↑ "Jason Arday". Nelson Mandela University. Retrieved 2023-03-02.
  5. ↑ Brinkhurst-Cuff, Charlie (2023-07-11). "Jason Arday: he learned to talk at 11 and read at 18 – then became Cambridge's youngest Black professor". The Guardian. ISSN   0261-3077 . Retrieved 2024-03-19.
  6. ↑ "Surviving Society podcast, April 2019". Spotify . Retrieved 2022-11-03.
  7. ↑ "Ruling Passions podcast, March 2022". 22 March 2022. Retrieved 2022-11-03.
  8. ↑ "With Reason podcast, December 2020". 15 December 2020. Retrieved 2022-11-03.
  9. ↑ "Dr J Arday - Durham University". www.dur.ac.uk. Retrieved 2021-01-24.
  10. ↑ "OBV MP Shadowing Scheme 2017/18 | OBV". www.obv.org.uk. Retrieved 2021-01-24.
  11. ↑ "National Advisory Panel | CLASS". classonline.org.uk. Retrieved 2021-01-24.
  12. 1 2 Arday, Jason (2021-01-05). "No one can see me cry: understanding mental health issues for Black and minority ethnic staff in higher education". Higher Education. 83: 79–102. doi: 10.1007/s10734-020-00636-w . ISSN   1573-174X. S2CID   234182270.
  13. ↑ Arday, Jason; Belluigi, Dina Zoe; Thomas, Dave (2021-02-23). "Attempting to break the chain: reimaging inclusive pedagogy and decolonising the curriculum within the academy". Educational Philosophy and Theory. 53 (3): 298–313. doi:10.1080/00131857.2020.1773257. ISSN   0013-1857. S2CID   219779072.
  14. ↑ Arday, Jason (2018-07-03). "Dismantling power and privilege through reflexivity: negotiating normative Whiteness, the Eurocentric curriculum and racial micro-aggressions within the Academy" . Whiteness and Education. 3 (2): 141–161. doi:10.1080/23793406.2019.1574211. ISSN   2379-3406. S2CID   155236217.
  15. ↑ Arday, Jason (2021-02-23). "Race, education and social mobility: We all need to dream the same dream and want the same thing". Educational Philosophy and Theory. 53 (3): 227–232. doi: 10.1080/00131857.2020.1777642 . ISSN   0013-1857. S2CID   225680526.
  16. 1 2 Arday, Jason (2020-06-25). "Fighting the tide: Understanding the difficulties facing Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) Doctoral Students' pursuing a career in Academia". Educational Philosophy and Theory. 53 (10): 972–979. doi: 10.1080/00131857.2020.1777640 . ISSN   0013-1857.
  17. ↑ "Black applicants least likely to be offered PhD places". BBC News. 2020-11-17. Retrieved 2021-01-24.
  18. ↑ Arday, Jason (2020-07-24). "This is a low: The enduring effects of racial discrimination on mental health within the academy". HEPI. Retrieved 2021-01-24.
  19. ↑ Weale, Sally (2020-11-25). "National curriculum in England 'systematically omits' Black British history". The Guardian. ISSN   0261-3077 . Retrieved 2021-01-24.
  20. ↑ Arday, Jason (2020-06-13). "If we want a more equal Britain, we must teach its true black history". The Guardian. Retrieved 2021-01-24.
  21. ↑ "The Black Curriculum". The Black Curriculum. Retrieved 2021-01-24.
  22. ↑ "Dr J Arday - Durham University". www.dur.ac.uk. Retrieved 2021-01-24.
  23. ↑ Weale, Sally (2020-01-08). "Black British history 'missing from school curricula in England'". The Guardian. Retrieved 2021-01-24.
  24. 1 2 Arday, Jason. "Cool Britannia and Multi-Ethnic Britain: Uncorking the Champagne Supernova". Routledge & CRC Press. Retrieved 2021-01-24.
  25. ↑ Arday, Jason; Mirza, Heidi Safia, eds. (2018). Dismantling Race in Higher Education: Racism, Whiteness and Decolonising the Academy. Palgrave Macmillan. doi:10.1007/978-3-319-60261-5. ISBN   978-3-319-60260-8.
  26. ↑ Arday, Jason (2023-12-31). Considering Racialised Contexts in Education: Using reflective practice and peer-mentoring to support Black and Ethnic Minority educators (1st ed.). Routledge.
  27. ↑ "Our Team | Trustees". Runnymede Trust. Retrieved 2 March 2023.
  28. ↑ Cox, Laura (2010-08-25). "College lecturer completes marathon challenge". Richmond and Twickenham Times. Retrieved 2021-01-24.
  29. ↑ "Good luck Jason! - Shelter England". england.shelter.org.uk. Retrieved 2021-01-24.
  30. ↑ Davis, Lizabeth (2013-12-01). "A Murray Christmas for charity hero | The Voice Online". archive.voice-online.co.uk. Retrieved 2021-01-24.
  31. ↑ "The Black Curriculum Report (2020)" (PDF).
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.