The 2025 Claire Dwyer Lecture: Dr Shabna Begum

The Claire Dwyer Lecture is held annually in memory of Professor Claire Dwyer, whose work on the geographies of race, racism and multiculturalism continues to shape debates in Britain and beyond.

For the 2025 Lecture, we are delighted to welcome Dr Shabna Begum, CEO of the Runnymede Trust, the UK’s leading race equality think tank.

Dr Begum will reflect on the 60th anniversary of the Race Relations Act of 1965. While the Act introduced the criminal offence of “incitement to racial hatred,” it was widely criticised at the time for its lack of ambition.

Sixty years on, the social and political landscape remains contested: the very existence of structural racism is being questioned, and social sanctions against public racism appear weaker than at any time in the last four decades.

At this pivotal moment, Dr Begum’s lecture will consider what the 1965 Act can tell us about the history of racial justice in Britain and how it resonates with current struggles for equality.

The event will be chaired by Professor Tariq Jazeel, with a small reception to follow.

This lecture is free and open to the public - all are welcome.

About the speaker

Dr Shabna Begum is Chief Executive of the Runnymede Trust. Before joining Runnymede, she taught Politics and Sociology in London secondary comprehensive schools for over two decades. She completed her PhD at Queen Mary University of London’s School of Geography, where she remains an Honorary Research Fellow.

Her research and writing focus on race, migration, and grassroots community activism. She is the author of From Sylhet to Spitalfields: Bengali squatters in 1970s East London (2023).

Read more about Dr Shabna Begum

Schedule

• 5 PM – Welcome & introduction (Professor Tariq Jazeel, UCL)
• 5:10 PM – Lecture by Dr Shabna Begum
• 6:10 PM – Q&A chaired by Professor Tariq Jazeel
• 6:40 PM – Reception (in the same room)
• 7:00 PM – Close

Access profile

We aim to make our events as inclusive as possible so if you have any accessibility requirements please let us know in advance so we can try to make reasonable adjustments and ensure the appropriate measures are taken.

The IAS Common Ground is room G11, on the ground floor of the South Wing. It is step-free / wheelchair accessible.

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