Short Abstract:

After a brief introduction by Robert Gibb, Ulf Hannerz and Michael Banton will engage in a conversation about Banton´s work, on race and ethnicity in Britain, on ethnicity in colonial Sierra Leone, on police work in the United States, and on theoretical issues.

Long Abstract:

Professor Michael Banton has been a central figure in British and European social anthropology since the 1950s, and was the first professor of sociology at the University of Bristol, where he had a leading academic role for many years. This session is intended to honour Michael Banton, and allow EASA members to gain an overview of his manifold scholarly contributions. Robert Gibb (University of Glasgow) will introduce the session by speaking briefly on the history of the anthropology of ethnicity and race relations in Britain, in which Michael Banton was a pioneer and key figure. Ulf Hannerz and Michael Banton will then engage in a conversation about Banton´s work, on race and ethnicity in Britain, on ethnicity in colonial Sierra Leone, on police work in the United States, and on theoretical issues. (Banton was Hannerz' external examiner for the PhD at Stockholm University in 1969.)