All Outputs (120)

#ReconstructionWork: Whose Memorials? (2022)
Presentation / Conference Contribution

The state backlash against the mass protests for racial justice in June 2020 is well underway. A reaction punctuated by the recent passing of the Police, Crimes and Sentencing Bill, which has increased the maximum penalty for criminal damage to a mem... Read More about #ReconstructionWork: Whose Memorials?.

Contested culture as change-maker: The collaborative approach to displaying the toppled statue of Edward Colston (2022)
Presentation / Conference Contribution

The toppling of the statue of Edward Colston in Bristol in June 2020
made international headlines. Professor Shawn Sobers of the UWE Bristol and ‘We are Bristol History Commission’, and Ray Barnett Head of Collections & Archives at Bristol Museums,... Read More about Contested culture as change-maker: The collaborative approach to displaying the toppled statue of Edward Colston.

Between the Ears: The Emperor and the Pianola (2022)
Digital Artefact

Short description:

In this captivating Between the Ears, Professor Shawn Sobers uncovers the fascinating story of Emperor Haile Selassie I and his pianola as told through the music of the time, (based on Sobers' original research).

Long descrip... Read More about Between the Ears: The Emperor and the Pianola.

Theoretical considerations of compassionate education practices (2022)
Presentation / Conference Contribution

Opening provocation exploring the theme of whether a compassionate led approach to education can lead the way for equality. Acknowledging that it is a shame that the question need be asked at all, looks into ways formal education spaces have become b... Read More about Theoretical considerations of compassionate education practices.

The Colston Statue: What Next? ‘We are Bristol’ History Commission - Full Report (2022)
Report

In the summer of 2021, the ‘We are Bristol’ History Commission consulted with the public about the future of the Colston statue and the Colston plinth. People had a chance to see the statue and learn about its history in a temporary display at the M... Read More about The Colston Statue: What Next? ‘We are Bristol’ History Commission - Full Report.

The Colston Statue: What next? ‘We are Bristol’ History commission - Visual short report (2022)
Report

This version of the report contains images and presents the findings of the research in an accessable format.

In the summer of 2021, the ‘We are Bristol’ History Commission consulted with the public about the future of the Colston statue and the C... Read More about The Colston Statue: What next? ‘We are Bristol’ History commission - Visual short report.

The future of visual anthropology in the wake of Black Lives Matter: A dialogue among Shawn Sobers, Deborah Thomas and Sireita Mullings (2021)
Journal Article

As a discipline, anthropology has long been subject to the scrutiny of critical race theorists and to questions of ethical practice with regard to ethnicity and representation. This dialogue features critical Black visual anthropologists discussing t... Read More about The future of visual anthropology in the wake of Black Lives Matter: A dialogue among Shawn Sobers, Deborah Thomas and Sireita Mullings.

'Don't Wander Off' and other rules to ignore (2021)
Book Chapter

This article explores the complexities of navigating the city as a photographer during the period of the covid pandemic lockdowns. The article is a response to Chris Hoare's photobook Keywork, in which he took photographs around Bristol during lockdo... Read More about 'Don't Wander Off' and other rules to ignore.

Which of us photographs? (2021)
Book Chapter

How will future historians interpret how the 2020/2021 lockdowns impacted photographic aesthetics? Such a study would likely be done best by scholars who are not yet even born. Practitioners and scholars of today are too close to the moment to be abl... Read More about Which of us photographs?.

What does decolonising the curriculum mean? (2020)
Presentation / Conference Contribution

What does decolonising the curriculum mean? What practical steps can I make to adapt my teaching?
Myra Evans and Dr Shawn Sobers explore the issue and ideas and actions to make change. The session has been designed to help staff to consider how they... Read More about What does decolonising the curriculum mean?.

What's next for the future of Decolonial practice? (2020)
Presentation / Conference Contribution

Panel discussion with Dr Errol Francis, Dr Angelina Osbourne, Stacey Olika, Jennifer Sharratt and Matthew Branch. On the topic of;

- Is Decolonisation the appropriate word for this work, or is it Diversification?
- What does a Decolonised future... Read More about What's next for the future of Decolonial practice?.

The Emperor and the Pianiola: A children's book for adults (2019)
Book

This illustrated photo-book explores the story of Emperor Haile Selassie and the Ethiopian royal family coming to live in the city of Bath following Mussolini's invasion, and how they used pianola music to create a sense of sanctity for the family at... Read More about The Emperor and the Pianiola: A children's book for adults.

A Call For A Black Bristol Filmmakers Archive (2019)
Presentation / Conference Contribution

In this introduction to the Sudanese documentary film 'Talking About Trees', Sobers brings the storyline to a Bristol context. He charts Bristol's own history of professional Black filmmakers, and argues that making films alone is no longer enough.... Read More about A Call For A Black Bristol Filmmakers Archive.

Point of View - Positioning public engagement central to your research. Case Study: Ethiopian echoes in a British Landscape AHRC Research Networks project (2019)
Presentation / Conference Contribution

This key-note presentation discussed approaches to research design and methodology, and offers thoughts towards how to connect research projects closer to real world experience and impact. The three areas discussed were; 1) Public engagement as the c... Read More about Point of View - Positioning public engagement central to your research. Case Study: Ethiopian echoes in a British Landscape AHRC Research Networks project.

The politics and myth of the Untold Story: From personal liberatory practice to decolonial discourse (2019)
Presentation / Conference Contribution

This talk will discussed a journey in creative practice and deconstructing motivations of making - from the personal to the political and the blurs inbetween. Sobers discussed modes of using creative culture to challenge to the colonial centre, and e... Read More about The politics and myth of the Untold Story: From personal liberatory practice to decolonial discourse.

Me and my work: Education, Photography, Filmmaking, and Rastafari philosophy (2019)
Presentation / Conference Contribution

In this wide-ranging talk, Sobers discussed how he got to be where he is now with his career, shared some examples of his photography and films, and talked how Rastafari and Pan-Africanism has informed his creative practice and life choices.

TEDx - Ethiopian Echoes in the Bath landscape, and three lessons those echoes can teach us. (2019)
Presentation / Conference Contribution

This TEDx talk discussed how the history of the Ethiopian connection with the city of Bath can shed light on how we live today. The talk addressed three key lessons;

1) You can find sanctity in unexpected places
2) The need for calmness in times... Read More about TEDx - Ethiopian Echoes in the Bath landscape, and three lessons those echoes can teach us..

Democratising a decolonised functional and cultural heritage space (2019)
Presentation / Conference Contribution

This presentation discussed how Fairfield House in Bath, the former residence of Emperor Haile Selassie, could be considered a decolonised space - predominantly Black led, catering for predominantly (though not solely) Black audiences. Sobers discu... Read More about Democratising a decolonised functional and cultural heritage space.

Connection People and Places - Fairfield House case study (2019)
Presentation / Conference Contribution

Fairfield House was one of the case studies for the Connection People and Places research project, led by the Stephen Lawrence Trust in partnership with the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA).

In my opening talk I explained the history... Read More about Connection People and Places - Fairfield House case study.

Colonial Complexity in the British Landscape: An African-centric autoethnography (2019)
Book Chapter

This chapter explores the notion of what sites of collective significance in the UK can mean to people of African descent , whose ancestral lands were formerly colonised by the British Empire. With such a premise, the methodological position of this... Read More about Colonial Complexity in the British Landscape: An African-centric autoethnography.