PhD candidates from the Nordic countries can now apply to participate in a Masterclass with Professor Paul Gilroy, the 2019 Holberg Laureate. The event takes place during the Holberg Week in Bergen on Monday, 3 June, 2:00 p.m.– 4:00 p.m. Expenses for travel and accommodation will be covered, and the participants are also invited to other events the official Holberg Week Programme (3–5 June).

"Multiculturalism or Melancholia"

From a historical perspective, this class will consider the complex patterns of interaction and interdependency evident in urban centres that have accommodated postcolonial incomers and other settler populations. Against the assumptions of civilisationism and ethnic absolutism, we will explore examples that reveal the inter- and trans-cultural character of everyday life. Social and Human sciences seldom give those fluid patterns either the status or the attention that they merit. Related theoretical discussions nested around the key concept of “conviviality” will also be taken into account. – Paul Gilroy

About Paul Gilroy

Paul Gilroy is awarded the Holberg Prize in 2019 for his contributions to research in a number of academic fields, including cultural studies, critical race studies, sociology, history, anthropology and African-American studies. Gilroy is Professor of American and English Literature at King’s College London, and he is one of the most well-known researchers and public intellectuals in the UK today.

Preparation

Participants are asked to prepare a 5-7-minute presentation related to the main topic of the seminar. In addition to knowledge of the texts listed as curriculum below, participants are also asked to prepare questions for Professor Gilroy in advance. The discussion will be held in English.

Curriculum

• Claire Risbeth and Ben Rogaly: “Sitting ouside: conviviality, self-care and the design of benches in urban public space”. Transactions of the Institute of British Geographers. London: John Wiley & Sons Ltd. on behalf of Royal Geographical Society, 2017.
• Emma Jackson: “Valuing the bowling alley: Contestations over the preservation of spaces of everyday urban multiculture in London.” The Sociological Review, Vol 67 (1), 2019: 79-94.
• Malcolm James: “Diaspora as Ethnographic Method: Decolonial Reflections on Researching Urban Multi-culture in Outer East London.” Young, Vol 24 (1), 2016: 222-237.
• Les Back & Shamster Sinha: “Multicultural Convivality in the Midst of Racism’s Ruins.” Journal of Intercultural Studies, Vol. 37 (5), 2016: 517-532.
• Dennis Dworkin: “Paul Gilroy and the cultural politics of decline”. Rethinking History, Vol 13 (4), 2009: 521-539.
• Suzanne Hall: “The Politics of Nearness”. In City, Street and Citizen: The Measure of the Ordinary. London: Routledge, 2012: 95-109.
• Sivamohan Valluvan: “Conviviality and Multuculture: A Post-integration Sociology of Multi-ethnic Interaction.” Young, Vol 24 (3), 2016: 204-221.

How to apply

Apply for the Masterclass by completing the application form below. We ask that you submit a letter of motivation, your CV and contact information. Deadline for applications: 1 May, 2019.

Application form: Masterclass 2019

If you have any questions about the event, application requirements or practicalities, please contact the Holberg Prize Secretariat at info@holbergprisen.no.