Dr Gabriel is an academic, journalist, media and equality specialist whose work is largely focused on equity and social justice in higher education and the wider society.
Diversity Projects
Over the years Dr Gabriel has developed a number of projects to diversify the media, including People With Voices (2008-2013) an online journalism project funded by UnLtd to increase participation in the news industry among the most under-represented groups. Black Bloggers UK & International Network (2011-2013) was developed to support her doctoral research on Black Bloggers in the UK. Both websites have been archived by the British Library.
Journalism
Dr Gabriel’s journalistic work is focused on giving voice to the perspectives and experiences of marginalised groups and articulating issues around inequality. She has written for a variety of publications including Times Higher Education, Guardian, Independent, Red Pepper and Parliamentary Monitor. Between 2004 and 2008 she served as Editor of Colourful Network prior to its conversion to a digital radio station.
Critical Leadership
Dr Gabriel established Black British Academics® in 2013 as a pro-active, influential network of intellectuals and scholar activists committed to tackling racial inequality in higher education and the wider society and serves as its Director. It leads research on race and gender inequality and innovation in education practice through the Ivory Tower Project and 3D Pedagogy Framework™ .
Research
Dr Gabriel’s research falls into two distinct areas. The first is concerned with the dynamics of race, ethnicity and culture in higher education and pedagogical research centred on decolonising, democratising and diversifying the curriculum. The second is concerned with the politics of racialised identity, especially counterhegemonic practice and race and representation in media education and practice and popular culture. Her 2007 book, Layers of Blackness: Colourism in the African Diaspora, was the first major work on colourism by a UK author and has continued to attract worldwide attention. She developed the Ivory Tower project on race and gender equality for Black British Academics® and is co-editor of the first book in the series: Inside the Ivory Tower: Narratives of Women of Colour Surviving and Thriving in British Academia. Dr Gabriel led a team of 12 researchers on the sequel as Editor of Transforming the Ivory Tower: Models for Gender Equality and Social Justice, which is due to be published by UCL Institute of Education Press in July 2020. She has presented her research at international conferences around the world including Paris, Dubai, Buffalo, Hawaii, Washington DC, New York, Austin, and Toronto, and in addition to leading institutional change around race equality through Black British Academics®, she has also served on a number of international advisory and editorial boards and runs an international consultancy providing specialist services.
Academic Role
Dr Gabriel is based in the Faculty of Media and Communication at Bournemouth University and is an award-winning specialist in social justice pedagogy and critical race pedagogy, teaching from a critical race/gender standpoint. In 2017 and 2016 she received ‘You’re Brilliant’ awards run by the university’s Student Union where students vote for staff they feel have made an outstanding contribution to their learning and/or university experience. In 2018 she won the Award in Academic Excellence in the Dorset Ethnic Minority Awards and won the Staff Member of the Year Award in the Student Union BME Awards. She also won the James Thomas Memorial Prize in 2013 for Best Paper by a postgraduate student at the Media and Politics Group annual conference at Bournemouth University.
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Last updated: Nov 2019
orcid.org/0000-0001-9278-1673
