Les Back (born 17 December 1962) is a professor of

sociology Sociology is a social science that focuses on society, human social behavior, patterns of social relationships, social interaction, and aspects of culture associated with everyday life. It uses various methods of empirical investigation an ...

Goldsmiths, University of London Goldsmiths, University of London, officially the Goldsmiths' College, is a constituent research university of the University of London in England. It was originally founded in 1891 as The Goldsmiths' Technical and Recreative Institute by the Wo ...

and an author.

Biography

Les Back was born in

Croydon Croydon is a large town in south London, England, south of Charing Cross. Part of the London Borough of Croydon, a local government district of Greater London. It is one of the largest commercial districts in Greater London, with an extensi ...

in south London and studied at both undergraduate and postgraduate level at Goldsmiths, University of London. He received a PhD in social anthropology in 1991. He subsequently worked at the Institute of Education, Birkbeck College and the Department of Cultural Studies,

University of Birmingham The University of Birmingham (informally Birmingham University) is a Public university, public research university located in Edgbaston, Birmingham, United Kingdom. It received its royal charter in 1900 as a successor to Queen's College, Birmingha ...

before returning to Goldsmiths in 1993.

Key studies

Back is the author of ''The Art of Listening'' (2007), 'Out of Whiteness: Color, Politics and Culture'' (2003 with Vron Ware), ''The Changing Face of Football: Racism, Identity and Multicuture in the English Game'' (2001) with T Crabbe and J. Solomos, ''New Ethnicities and Urban Culture: Racisms and Multiculture in Young Lives''(1996), ''Racism and Society'' (1996 with John Solomos) and ''Race, Politics and Social Change'' (1995 with John Solomos). In addition he has edited three volumes The ''Auditory Cultures Reader'' (2003 with Michael Bull), ''Theories of Race and Racism: A Reader'' (2000 with John Solomos) and (1993) (co-editor with Anoop Nayak) ''Invisible Europeans?: Black people in the 'New Europe (1993 with Anoop Nayak). Back's work focuses on the issues of race, racism, popular culture and belonging, discussed with

ethnographic Ethnography (from Greek ''ethnos'' "folk, people, nation" and ''grapho'' "I write") is a branch of anthropology and the systematic study of individual cultures. Ethnography explores cultural phenomena from the point of view of the subject ...

research often based in south London. He also writes journalism contributing regularly to

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...

, Times Higher Educational Supplement and the

New Humanist ''New Humanist'' is a quarterly magazine, published by the Rationalist Association in the UK, that focuses on culture, news, philosophy, and science from a sceptical perspective. History The ''New Humanist'' has been in print for more than 13 ...

as well as contributing to on-line magazines including openDemocracy.net and

Eurozine ''Eurozine '' is a network of European cultural magazines based in Vienna, linking up more than 90 partner journals and just as many associated magazines and institutions from nearly all European countries. ''Eurozine'' is also an online magazine ...

Bibliography

*(2011) 'Academic Diary' *(2008) 'Sociologist's Talking', Sociological Research on-line *(2008) "Beaches and graveyards": Europe's haunted borders, Eurozine *(2008) "An ordinary virtue", New Jewish Thought, *(2006) 'Phobocity' Eurozine *(2007) The Art of Listening Oxford and New York: Berg Publishers *(2007) Written in Stone Working Papers Goldsmiths, University of London, London *(2003) (co-editor with Michael Bull) The Auditory Cultures Reader Oxford: Berg *(2002) (co-author with Vron Ware) Out of Whiteness: Color, Politics and Culture Chicago and London: University of Chicago Press *(2001) (co-author with T Crabbe and J. Solomos) The Changing Face of Football: Racism, Identity and Multicuture in the English Game Oxford: Berg *(2001) Love's Repair, Opendemcoracy *(2000) (co-editor with John Solomos) Theories of Race and Racism: A Reader London: Routledge *(1996) New Ethnicities and Urban Culture: Racisms and Multiculture in Young Lives London: UCL Press *(1996) (co-author with John Solomos) (1996) Racism and Society Basingstoke: Macmillan Press Ltd *(1995) (co-author with John Solomos) Race, Politics and Social Change London & New York: Routledge *(1993) (co-editor with Anoop Nayak) Invisible Europeans?: Black people in the 'New Europe' Birmingham: AFFOR

Sources

Written in Stone (2008) Sociology Working papers, Goldsmiths, University of London https://web.archive.org/web/20081024024020/http://www.sussex.ac.uk/sociology/1-4-11.html {{DEFAULTSORT:Back, Les 1962 births Living people People from Croydon Alumni of Goldsmiths, University of London Academics of Birkbeck, University of London Academics of the University of Birmingham Academics of Goldsmiths, University of London