Profile

Dr. Gurnam Singh is a highly respected activist researcher, writer, educator and broadcast journalist who is dedicated to exposing and challenging systems of power, privilege, and violence that perpetuate human suffering and inequality. He is currently Associate Professor of Sociology (Hon) at the University of Warwick, a post he has held since 2019. He is a Visiting Professor of Social Work, at Liverpool Hope University. Previously he was Fellow in Race and Education at the University of Arts, London (2018-2024), Visiting Professor of Social Work, University of Chester (2015-2021), Associate Professor of Education and Post Graduate Research Degrees Lead (2017-2023) and Principal Lecturer in Social Work (2012-2019) at Coventry University.

Dr. Singh has over 30 years experience in research and teaching in Higher Education in various academic roles incorporating, teaching and research. He has contributed significantly to the field of social work and higher education policy and practice. Before joining academia, he worked for 10 years as a professional social worker and training and development officer with Bradford Social Services.

In 2004, Dr. Singh earned his PhD from the University of Warwick, where he focused on the history of anti-racist social work. He has since developed his teaching and research interests in critical pedagogy and critical practice, with a specific focus on issues of social justice, human rights, anti-oppression and practical ethics.

Dr. Singh's contributions to pedagogy and higher education have earned him numerous accolades throughout his career. In 2009, he was awarded a National Teaching Fellowship from the UK Higher Education Academy, a prestigious annual prize given to the top 50 academics in all UK universities. And in 2018 Dr Singh was made a Fellow of the Royal Society of the Arts (FRSA).

Throughout his career, Dr Singh has secured research projects worth over £500,000 and has presented over 200 papers at national and international conferences, many as an invited keynote speaker. He is the author of four books and over 60 book chapters and peer-reviewed journal articles. He has also published numerous monographs, research reports, conference papers, blogs, and newspaper articles on a wide range of issues related to social justice and anti-racism in health, social care, and education.

Dr Singh has worked with numerous universities and public and private sector organisations providing consultancy focussing specifically on student recruitment, progression and attainment, anti-racism, decolonisation, and creative pedagogy.

In addition to his academic contributions, Dr. Singh is also active in minority TV media, where he has presented numerous educational programs covering a wide range of social, cultural, and political issues specifically related to diaspora South Asian Communities. He is also a regular columnist for the online magazine Asia Samachar, where he writes on social, philosophical, and political issues.

Research

Dr Singh has an extensive research profile and experience in both conducting and managing funded and unfunded research across a range of subjects associated with social justice, health, education and social care. He served on the Coventry and Warwick Research Ethics Committee for 7 years between 2010 and 2017.

Research Funding:

Dr Singh has secured over £500,000 of funding over his career. Significant past projects include:

Disparities in student attainment: Improving student attainment through an understanding of structures, spaces and people: Funding body: The Higher Education Academy with matched funding from Coventry University Sept 2012 – Sept 2015 £20,000

Disparities in Student Attainment: National Teaching Fellowship project, Higher Education Academy. London. With Glynis Cousin, 2010 – 2013 - £190,000.

Contract to develop and deliver a Practice-Based Masters level social work qualification for the West Midlands Regional Partnership Step Up to Social Work Programme – Sept 2010 – Sept 2012: £140,000

‘Making A Difference: Action Research of Advocacy for Bangladeshi and Pakistani Families with Severely Disabled Children’. (1999) With P Bywaters L Wallace and East Birmingham FSU. National Lottery Charities Board. £150,000.

Research and Scholarship:

Published articles and webinar presentations:

Carey, M and Singh, G (2024) Introduction to the special issue: social work and social control. Critical and Radical Social Work, Policy Press, P1-5. From https://bristoluniversitypressdigital.com/downloadpdf/view/journals/crsw/aop/article-10.1332-20498608Y2024D000000058/article-10.1332-20498608Y2024D000000058.pdf

Hadwin, D., & Singh, G. (2024). Social work with unaccompanied asylum-seeking children and young people: resisting the rhetoric. Critical and Radical Social Work (published online ahead of print 2024). Retrieved Nov 25, 2024, from https://bristoluniversitypressdigital.com/downloadpdf/view/journals/crsw/aop/article-10.1332-20498608Y2024D000000041/article-10.1332-20498608Y2024D000000041.pdf

Singh, G (2024) AI, race and racism: towards an anti-racist? Paper given at the Roundtable on Decolonization, on May 28th 2024Organised by: Higher Education Strategy Associates (HESA), Toronto, ON Canada. Available at: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1zNX6x5ehGodJIjRgTWD1rdUyDQ9cC05d/view?usp=sharing

Singh, G (2024) Shifting paradigms: doing ‘anti-racism’ without doing ‘race’, in Latest Post-16 Educator Issue 115: April to June 2024. p8-13. Available at: http://post16educator.org.uk/resources/archive/115/PSE-115-Singh-only.pdf

Singh, G (2024). Can AI be Anti-racist? in C. Rowel (Ed) AI Conversations: Critical discussions about AI, art, and eduction. (e book). University of the Arts, London. Available at: https://totallyrewired.wordpress.com/2023/10/21/recording-can-ai-be-anti-racist/

Singh, G (2023) AI: lessons from the history of Western imperialism. Post-16 Educator 113. Pp19-21. Available at: http://post16educator.org.uk/resources/archive/113/PSE-113-Singh-only.pdf

Singh, G (2023) Authentic anti-racism: from intellectual curiosity to embodied critical consciousness. Blog November 13, 2023. Available at: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/authentic-anti-racism-from-intellectual-curiosity-embodied-singh-sumfe

Singh, G (2023) Decolonising bibliographies, referencing and citational practices – Keynote at the CALC (Critical Approaches to Libraries Conference 24/25 May 2023. Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MPfrbE484I0

Singh, G (2023) The age of artificial intelligence (AI) – lessons from history, presentation at the ‘Artificial Intelligence (AI), Race and Racism and Critical Pedagogies’ webinar, University of Warwick 1^st June 2023. Available at: https://warwick.ac.uk/fac/cross_fac/academy/activities/seminar/ai-and-race-webinar

Singh, G. (2023) Has decolonisation of higher education reached a dead end? Lecture Series on Decolonising Academic Practice, 2023 Birmingham City University, 2^nd May 2023. Online presentation https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mFl-cD7v7WU&t=22s

Singh. G (2023) Decolonisation and Identity Politics. Post 16 Educator. 112 July -Sept 2023. Pp12-15. Available at: http://post16educator.org.uk/resources/archive/112/PSE-112-Singh-only.pdf

Singh, G. (2023) Decolonisation, whiteness, and anti-racist social work. In The Routledge Handbook of International Critical Social Work (pp. 343-357). Routledge. https://www.taylorfrancis.com/chapters/edit/10.4324/9781003211969-28/decolonisation-whiteness-anti-racist-social-work-gurnam-singh

Singh, G (2023)Critical pedagogy and emancipation: a Festschrift in memory of Joyce Canaan, Book review,in, Educational Review, DOI: 10.1080/00131911.2023.2223834.https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/00131911.2023.2223834

Singh, G. and Singh, J. (2023)Sikhi, Sikhs and Colonialism – Critical Reflections.The Sikh Review Vol. 71: 07 JULY 2023 (Part 1 pages 41-48) and Vol. 72: 07 August (Part 2) pages 43-53). Available at:https://docs.google.com/document/d/1Cz_0O8onZ43SuADSu5Zv55iBpjWpFT63OxQOR1ATRto/edit

Singh, G. (2022). Diversity and Inclusion in Higher Education. Post 16 Educator, 109. Downloadable from https://www.linkedin.com/in/gurnam-singh-9b21901a/

Singh, G. (2021) Being an academic activist in a neoliberal university. Post-16 Educator 105. Oct-Dec 2021. Available at: Post-16 Educator. http://post16educator.org.uk/resources/archive/105/PSE-105-Singh-only.pdf

Singh, G. (2020) 'Dehumanisation and education' Article version of a talk given at a Coventry University UCU Teach-Out Event on 27/1/20. Post16 Educator. Issue 99, April to June 2020 http://post16educator.org.uk/resources/archive/99/PSE-99-Singh-only.pdf

Singh, G. (2019)."Book Review: Karim Murji Racism, Policy and Politics."(2019): Critical Social Policy, First Published March 4, 2019, 330-332.https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/0261018318825321e

Singh, G. (2016) Post-racial pedagogy - challenges and possibilities,Race Ethnicity and Education. 25th Oct 2016 DOI: 10.1080/13613324.2016.1248830http://curve.coventry.ac.uk/open/items/6c65df88-1f2a-4e53-a981-a106fd2a63c0/1/

Cowden, S., & Singh, G. (2016).Community cohesion, communitarianism and neoliberalism.Critical Social Policy, Oct 2016, DOI: 0261018316670252.http://csp.sagepub.com/content/early/2016/10/18/0261018316670252.full

Singh, G. (2015) The neo-liberalisation of higher education in, Post - 16 Educator. Issue 81 October –Dec 2015. ISSN 0459-2026, pp13-18. Available at: https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B85Q6ra99jkNZFRVc2hKU3FLRnM/view?usp=sharing

Singh, G. and Cowden, S. (2015) The intensification of neoliberalism and the commodification of human need – a social work perspective. Critical and Radical Social Work. Available online: September 9, 2015.http://www.ingentaconnect.com/content/tpp/crsw/pre-prints/content-PP_CRSW-D-15-00005R1

Singh, G. and Cowden, S. (2013) Part two Response to Tariq Modood - Accommodating religions: Who's accommodating whom?A three-part debate about multiculturalism and religion. Critical Social Policy published online 22 Oct 2013.

Singh, G and Cowden, S (2011) Multiculturalism’s New Faultlines: Religious Fundamentalisms and Public Policy.Critical Social Policy 32(3)

Singh, G and Cowden, S (2009)Social Worker as Intellectual. European Journal of Social Work.Vol. 12, No. 2, May 2009 Available at:https://www.researchgate.net/publication/233201598_The_social_worker_as_intellectual

Gunn R, Durkin C.; Singh G, and Brown, J. (2008) Social Entrepreneurship in the Social Policy Curriculum. Social Enterprise Journal. Vol. 4 No. 1, 2008 pp74-80

Singh, G. (2006) Emancipatory Discourses of Sikhism: A Critical Perspective, in, Sikh Formations: Religion, Culture, Theory. Vol. 2 No2

Fazil Q.; Wallace L.M.; Singh G.; Ali Z. and Bywaters P. (2004) Empowerment and advocacy: reflections on action research with Bangladeshi and Pakistani families who have children with severe disabilities,Health & Social Care in the Community, 2004 Vol 12, no. 5, pp. 389-97

Cowden, S and Singh, G (2007) The "User" Friend, Foe or Fetish?A Critical Exploration of User Involvement in Health and Social Care, Critical Social Policy, Vol. 27(1) pp. 5-23

Singh, G (2003) (Review) Something To Do: The Development of Peer Support Groups for Young Black and Minority Ethnic Disabled People,T. Bignal, J. Butt and D. Pagarani, Bristol, The Policy Press, 2002. South Asian Young Disabled and Their Families, Y. Hussain, K. Atkin and W. Ahmad, Bristol, The Policy Press, 2002. User-defined Outcomes of Community Care for Asian Disabled People, A. Vernon, Bristol, The Policy Press, 2002. Best Practice in Mental Health: Advocacy for African, Caribbean and South Asian Communities, A. Rai-Atkins and A. A. Jama, N. Wright, V. Scott, C. Perring, G. Craig and S. Katbamna, Bristol, The Policy Press, 2002. British Journal of Social Work 2003 33: pp580-582

Bywaters P.; Ali Z.; Fazil Q.; Wallace L.M.; Singh G.(2003) Attitudes towards disability amongst Pakistani and Bangladeshi parents of disabled children in the UK: considerations for service providers and the disability movement,in, Health & Social Care in the Community, November 2003, vol. 11, no. 6, pp. 502-509(8)

Fazil, Q., Bywaters, Ali, Z., P.W., Wallace, L.M. and Singh, G. (2002) Disadvantage and Discrimination Compounded: The experience of Pakistani and Bangladeshi parents of disabled children in the UK. Disability and Society, 17(3) May 2002 pp237-253.

Singh, G (2002) (Review) Beyond Racial Divides: Ethnicities in Social Work PracticeDominelli, L, Lorenz, W and Soydan, H (eds.) British Journal of Social Work 2002 32: pp251-254

Singh, G (2001) (Review) Tackling Institutional Racism: Anti-racist Policies and Social Work Education and TrainingPenketh, L, Policy Press, Bristol, 2000 Critical Social Policy, November 2001, vol. 21, no. 4, pp. 552-555

Ali, Z., Bywaters, P.W., Fazil, Q., Wallace, L.M. and Singh, G. (2001) Disability, Ethnicity and childhood: a critical literature review,Disability and Society, 16 (7) (pp. 949-968).

Singh, G (2000) (Review) Working with black children and adolescents in needBarn_R (Ed.) BAAF, London, 1999. British Journal of Social Work, Feb 2000, Vol.30, No.1, pp.139-142

Singh, G (1996) (Review) `Race' and Community Care. Journal of Nursing Management. 4(6):375, November 1996.

Singh, G. (1996) Anti-Racist and Black Perspectives in Practice Teaching, Social Work Education, Vol 15, No.2.

Singh, G. (1994) Anti-racist Social Work - Political Correctness or Political Action, Social Work Education April, Spring 1994 edition,

Authored Books, Research Reports and Monographs

Carey, M. and Singh, G. (eds.) (2025) Social Work and Social Control. Critical and Radical Social Work Special Edition. Bristol: Policy Press

DaCosta, C.C.; Dixon-Smith, S. and Singh, G. (2021) Beyond BAME: Rethinking the politics, construction, application, and efficacy of ethnic categorisation: Stimulus Paper. HERAG. April 2021 Available at: https://pureportal.coventry.ac.uk/en/publications/beyond-bame-rethinking-the-politics-construction-application-and-

Singh, G and Masocha, S (Eds) (2020) Anti-Racist Social Work: International Perspectives. London, Palgrave Macmillan. https://www.bloomsbury.com/uk/antiracist-social-work-9781352008159/

Singh, G. and Kwhali, J. (2015) How can we make not break black and minority ethnic leaders in higher education? Stimulus paper - June 2015 ISBN: 978-1-906627-77-5. London: Leadership Foundation for Higher Education. http://www.academia.edu/13685908/How_can_we_make_not_break_black_and_minority_ethnic_leaders_in_higher

Cowden, S, and Singh, G, (eds) (2013). Acts of Knowing: Claiming Critical Pedagogy in, against and beyond the university, Continuum Books. London and NY. https://www.bloomsbury.com/uk/acts-of-knowing-9781441105318/

Singh, G. (2011). Black and Minority Ethnic (BME) student participation and success in Higher Education: improving retention and success - A Synthesis of Research Evidence. York, Higher Education Academy. https://www.advance-he.ac.uk/knowledge-hub/black-and-minority-ethnic-bme-students-participation-higher-education-improving

Chapters in Books

Hadwin, D., Gizani, H., Singh, G (2023) Working with Unaccompanied Refugee Minors, Chapter 19, in, J, Parker (ed) 2nd Edition. Introducing Social Work. London, Sage/Learning Matters.

Singh, G (2023) Decolonisation, whiteness and anti-racist social work. Routledge Handbook of Critical Social Work - 2nd Edition Stephen Webb (ed.) https://drive.google.com/file/d/1LKJgPoWk77QCy90Ezj736zKNEg0XVWZ-/view?usp=sharing

Singh, G. (2021) Anti-racist Social Work and the Present Moment, in, Outlanders: Hidden Narratives from Social Workers of Colour from Black and Other Global Majority Communities by Wayne Reid and Siobhan Maclean (eds). Staffordshire, Kirwin MacLean Associates.

Singh, G. (2020) Now you see me, now you don’t! Making sense of the Black and Minority Ethnic (BME) experience of UK Higher Education: one person’s story, in, The Palgrave Handbook of Auto/Biography, Parsons, Julie M., Chappell, Anne (Eds.). London, Palgrave Macmillan https://drive.google.com/file/d/1YtazaXt7M8hyWaqGNOIjzz2FclEe6gBR/view?usp=sharing

Hadwin, D., Singh, G., and Cowden, S (2020) Working with Unaccompanied Minors, Chapter 17, in J, Parker and S. A., Crabtree (Eds) Human Growth and Development in Children and Young People: Theoretical and Practice Perspectives (Volume I). Bristol, Policy Press.

Hadwin, D., Gizani, H., Singh, G. (2020) Working with Unaccompanied Refugee Minors, Chapter 19, in, J, Parker (ed) Introducing Social Work. London, Sage/Learning Matters.

Singh, G. (2019) Anti-oppressive Social Work, Neoliberalism and Neoeugenics, in, M, Lavalette and I Ferguson, What is the future of social work?: Austerity, welfare transformations and alternative futures. Bristol, Policy Press

Singh, G. and Cowden, S. (2016) Intellectuality, student attainment and the contemporary higher education system, in, G., Steventon, D., Cureton and L., Clouder (eds), Student Attainment in Higher Education: Issues, controversies and debates. Abington, Taylor & Francis/Routledge.

Cowden, S and Singh, G (2015) Critical Pedagogy: Critical Thinking as a Social Practice. In, M. Davies and R. Barnett (eds) The Palgrave Handbook of Critical Thinking in Higher Education. London, Palgrave MacMillan.

Singh, G. (2014). Rethinking anti-racist social work in a neoliberal age in Lavalette, M., & Penketh, L., (eds.) Race, racism and social work: Contemporary issues and debates, Policy Press, Bristol. 17-33.

Singh, G and Cowden, S (2014) “A Critical Analysis of Service Users Struggles. In, Cocker, C., & Hafford-Letchfield, T. Rethinking anti-discriminatory and anti-oppressive theories for social work practice. Basingstoke, Palgrave Macmillan.

Singh, G and Cowden, S (2013) Is Cultural Sensitivity Always a Good Thing? Arguments for a Universalist Social Work, In M. Carey and L. Green eds. Practical Social Work Ethics: Complex Dilemmas within Applied Social Care. London, Ashgate.

Singh, G and Cowden, S (2013) The New Radical Social Work Professional, in Professional Social Work Practice, J. Parker and M. Doel (Editors), London, Sage/Learning Matters

Fazil, Q., P. Bywaters, P., Ali, Z., Wallace, L., Singh.G. (2010). Disadvantage and discrimination compounded; The experience of Pakistani and Bangladeshi families with disabled children, chapter no 13 (In Inclusive Education: Learners and Learning Context 2, M Nind, K Sheehy, K Simmons (Editors), London, David Fulton,

Singh, G. (2010) Social Research and ‘Race’: Developing a critical paradigm, in J. Schostak and J. Schostak, Researching Violence, Democracy and the Rights of People. London, Routledge.

Singh, G G.(2009) Racism, in N. Thompson (ed.) Promoting Wellbeing in the Workplace. Palgrave/McMillan.

Singh, G (2006) Anti-racist Social Work and Postmodernism, in, M, Todd and M Farrar (eds.) ‘Teaching ‘Race’ in Social Sciences – New Contexts, New Approaches’, Birmingham, BSA/C-SAP

Banton, M and Singh, G (2004) Race, Disability and Oppression, in, J Swain, S French, C Barnes and C Thomas (Eds) Disabling Barriers, Enabling Environments. (Second Edition) London, SAGE

Singh, G (2002) The Political Challenge of Anti-racism in Health and Social Care, in, Tomlinson, D & Trew, W, Equalising Opportunities, Minimising Oppression, London, Routledge.

Singh, G and Johnson, M.R.D (2001) 'Research with ethnic minority groups in health and social welfare' in (Eds) Williams C, Soydan H, Johnson M Social Work and Minorities Routledge1998:231-246 reprinted in Race and Ethnicity: Critical Concepts (Ed: H Goulbourne) Routledge 2001 Volume IV Chapter 77 pp 250-266.

Singh, G. (1999) ‘Race’ and The Child Protection System. In, 'Children, in, Child Abuse and Child Protection: placing children centrally', Violence Against Children Group (ed.'s). London, Pavilion Publishing.

PhD Supervision:

Dr Singh has supervised 7 PhD students to completion and has been an examiner for 6 students. Additionally, in his role as PG Degrees Lead, he has chaired 16 PhD examinations.

Teaching

Ethics in social research.

Social Work theory, ethics and philosophy

Social Research methods

Sociology of race and ethnicity

Adult learning theories - including critical pedagogy.

Areas of expertise

• Critical Pedagogy
• Critical and Radical Social Work
• Race, racism and anti-racism
• Decolonisation and Higher Education.