Faculty Colloquium

Theorizing Visibility and Vulnerability in Black Europe and the African Diaspora

Europe is made up of at least 46 nations, and a population of more than 770 million people. Black people of African descent are estimated at more than 7 million, with at least 90% of them in just 12 nations. Whereas most analyses of Black people in Europe are nation-specific, and highlight distinct differences in each nation’s experiences, Professor Small examines the African Diaspora across Europe a whole, highlighting striking similarities in the experiences of Black people. Professor Small argues that these striking similarities can be articulated through the ideas of ambiguous visibility, entrenched vulnerability, and irrepressible resistance and resilience. And he identifies striking similarities in the ways that politicians and the general non-Black public explain Black peoples’ presence and experiences in Europe, through the rubric of immigration-assimilation-tolerance-gratitude. Professor Small argues that a more insightful analysis arises through a focus on citizenship-racism-rights-respect.

Stephen Small was born and raised in Liverpool, England the city with the nation’s longest-standing Black population.

Lite refreshments will be served.