Conversation #4: on race, identity, and belonging
→ In this series of evening discussions, leading authors, intellectuals and philosophers debate the concept of authenticity.
Afua Hirsch lives in the United Kingdom and is British, but her skin colour constantly elicits questions about her ethnic background. In her debut Brit(ish): On Race, Identity and Belonging, she has written a subtle personal history that also sketches the history of a country. Who can and may appropriate British identity? The guise of ‘colour-blindness’ actually causes more problems than it solves. Hirsch argues for change, and especially: the development of a language to talk about the subject. In her book, she analyses the identity crisis in which European societies now find themselves.
Moderated by Heleen Debeuckelaere.
• Afua Hirsch is an author, journalist, and human rights activist. She writes for The Guardian, among other publications.
Het boek van Afua Hirsch is in het Nederlands verschenen bij Uitgeverij Atlas Contact als Waarom ras ertoe doet.
