Unfortunately due to speaker illness this event has been cancelled. We will be intending to reschedule this for the 2020 festival and apologise for any inconvenience or disappointment caused.

Necropolitics—the politics of death—is a theory developed by Cameroonian postcolonial theorist Achille Mbembe, which divides the world into two halves: those whose lives “can” be wasted and those whose can not.

This global expression of sovereignty can be seen within the power structures of contemporary Britain, in politics, economics, and the media, resulting in devastating consequences for British BAME lives. This event will examine the underlying necropolitical attitude in Britain, from explicit acts of violence and racist legislation, to criminal negligence giving rise to tragedies such as the Grenfell Tower Fire and sociocultural phenomena such as Missing White Woman Syndrome.

In conversation are Roger Robinson, Naz Shah and Claire Heuchan.

About The Speakers

Claire Heuchan

Claire Heuchan is the award-winning blogger Sister Outrider. She is an essayist and feminist theorist, her work explores themes of power, identity, and liberation politics. Claire has essays featured in a growing range of books – including the feminist anthology Nasty Women.

Roger Robinson

Roger Robinson is a writer and performer who lives between London and Trinidad. His first full poetry collection, The Butterfly Hotel (2013), was shortlisted for The OCM Bocas Poetry Prize and his second, A Portable Paradise (2019), has been nominated for the T.S. Eliot Prize. He is the lead vocalist and lyricist for King Midas Sound.

Naz Shah

Naz Shah is the Member of Parliament for Bradford  West and has been a Member of the Home Affairs select committe e since 2015. Naz is also the Chair of APPG for Islamic finance, former Chair of APPG for Islamophobia & now Vice chair on the APPG for British Muslims, and APPG for Integration.