In this talk, Dominic Reilly will reflect on his perspective as a former PhD scholar of ‘race’ who encounters more and less explicit formulations of ‘race’ and ethnicity – many referencing academic scholarship - in his work delivering health inequalities programmes. Examining the influence of concepts such as anti-racism, racial formation theory, colour blind racism, Whiteness, positionality and intersectionality, Reilly aims to highlight the influence, utility and limitations of academic work on ‘race’ in an applied public health context.

The talk will be followed by a reception.

Dr Dominic Reilly received his PhD from Birkbeck, University of London in 2020. His thesis titled, ‘Gay men, Grindr, and the racialisation of “desire as sexuality’’, is a psychosocial exploration of the racialisation of sexual desire in gay men’s communities. For over eight years, Dominic has led projects and programmes of work addressing health inequalities in the sexual health and HIV sector, working for Terrence Higgins Trust and currently Central & North West London NHS Foundation Trust. This work has included a particular focus on health inequalities and inequities impacting LGBTQ+ communities, including LGBTQ+ people of colour, and Black African communities.

This talk and reception is hosted by the Bonnart Trust which funds Master’s and PhD scholarships at Birkbeck on the major themes of diversity, minorities and social justice. Find out more about the Bonnart Trust and current Bonnart scholars at: https://bonnart.org/