Black barbershops have long been key social institutions within Britain’s diverse black communities. They act as informal community hubs and are perceived as trusted spaces for those who frequent them. As protected racialized spaces, research suggests they serve as cultural forums, sites for alternative education, and promote the health and wellbeing of black men. Community initiatives and recent interventions by local authorities are increasingly recognising the importance of black barbershops as information hubs and significant gatekeepers to their communities.
Despite these important inroads, in the UK, the social and cultural significance of black barbershops is an underexplored topic within academia, with much of the evidence produced from within the US, particularly in the field of race, equity and health.
Dr Karis Campion’s ethnographic study of barbershops in South Londonseeks to contribute towards the existing evidence base in Britain. Incorporating photography and art, Black Barbershops in Focus, explores the barbershop through the lens of ‘community asset’, and examines their potential as generative spaces that can maintain and sustain black communities.
Event details:
Join us for this special panel and networking event where Karis will be joined by community activist and advisory board member Lee Towsend and award-winning playwright Inua Ellams, who will each share examples of their research, community interventions and artistic responses to black barbershops within the African and Caribbean diaspora in Britain.
Adopting a local and global lens, the three talks will take you from South London to South Africa, Croydon to Kenya, to celebrate the vitality of the barbershop, engage a new network of interested stakeholders and build the evidence base around black barbershops in Britain.
Speaker biographies:
Dr Karis Campion is a Lecturer in Race, Ethnicity and Social Justice in the Sociology and Criminology department at City, University of London. Her research interests include the relationship between race, locality and identity in cities (particularly Black place-making and community), urban ethnography as method, Black mixed-race identities/families, and race inequities in education. Her first book, Making Mixed Race: A Study of Time, Place and Identity, was published with Routledge in 2021. Her current ethnographic research incorporates art and photography to explore how barbershops function as community assets for Black communities in South London. In the summer of 2023, she hosted the mini-pop up community exhibition "Black Barbershops in Focus" from the basement of a barbershop to showcase the artistic outputs and emerging findings from the project so far.
Born in Nigeria, Inua Ellams is a poet, playwright & performer, graphic artist & designer. He is a Complete Works poet alumni and facilitates workshops in creative writing where he explores reoccurring themes in his work - Identity, Displacement and Destiny - in accessible, enjoyable ways for participants of all ages and backgrounds.
He has been commissioned by the Royal Shakespeare Company, National Theatre, Tate Modern, Louis Vuitton, BBC Radio & Television. His poetry books include ‘Candy Coated Unicorn and Converse All Stars’ published Flipped Eye, 'The Wire-Headed Heathen' by Akashic Books, The Half God of Rainfall by 4th Estate and The Actual by Penned in The Margins. His plays include ‘Black T-shirt Collection’, ‘The 14th Tale’, ‘Barber Shop Chronicles’ and ‘Three Sisters’ published by Oberon. He founded The Midnight Run (an arts-filled, night-time, urban walking experience.) The Rhythm and Poetry Party (The R.A.P Party) which celebrates poetry & hip hop, and Poetry + Film / Hack (P+F/H) which celebrates Poetry & Film.
“Ellams has an instinctive feel for the polyphonous rhythms of dialogue, and the way his characters use language is both a texture and a theme of this play.”
— The Telegraph on 'Barber Shop Chronicles'
“Exuberant, Invigorating... and richly enjoyable drama.”
— The Guardian on 'Barber Shop Chronicles'.
Lee Townsend is a London based photographer who endeavours to do more than just capture a moment in his portraits and photographs. His work focuses on communities, relationships,and subcultures to bring about understanding and tolerance between his subjects and their audience.
Authenticity is a central pillar upon which Lee focuses his work. Having worked in the third sector for over a decade, Lee has always been passionate about supporting grassroots community groups and organisations. He has been a trailblazer for notable community projects including, Mind My Hair, Hear My Mind, launched in 2015 by Off the Record youth counselling charity in Croydon, designed to raise conversations about BME men’s mental health. Owing to his community activism and extensive experience of working with and training barbers, Lee sits on the advisory board for Black Barbershops in Focus and is a key advocate and stakeholder for the project.
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