In Conversation with Afua Hirsch

Afua Hirsch is a British writer, journalist, broadcaster, and former barrister, known for her work on race, identity, and social justice. Born in Stavanger, Norway, in 1981 to a British father and Ghanaian mother, she was raised in Wimbledon, southwest London. Her diverse heritage deeply informs her writing, offering a unique perspective on cultural identity.

Hirsch studied Philosophy, Politics, and Economics at St Peter’s College, Oxford, before qualifying as a barrister in 2006 after training at BPP Law School. She practised law before transitioning to journalism, becoming The Guardian’s West Africa correspondent and later serving as Social Affairs and Education Editor at Sky News from 2014 to 2017.

In 2018, Hirsch published Brit(ish): On Race, Identity and Belonging, a part-memoir examining Black history, culture, and politics within Britain, Senegal, and Ghana. The book became a Sunday Times bestseller and was widely praised for its compelling exploration of race and identity in modern Britain.

Her broadcasting career includes co-presenting the 2020 documentary series Enslaved alongside Samuel L. Jackson, which investigated the history of the transatlantic slave trade. She also fronted African Renaissance: When Art Meets Power, a BBC Four series exploring African art, history, and resistance.

In 2023, Hirsch released Decolonising My Body: A Radical Exploration of Rituals and Beauty, reflecting on personal and societal perceptions of beauty shaped by colonial history. The book was praised for its bold critique of Eurocentric beauty standards and its personal reflections on self-acceptance.

Hirsch’s contributions to literature and journalism have been widely recognised. She was a judge for the 2019 Booker Prize and, in 2024, was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature. She is currently the Wallis Annenberg Chair in Journalism and Communication at the University of Southern California, where she continues to influence global discussions on race, identity, and justice.

In “Conflicting Ideas; Conflict and Compassionate Conversations”, Hirsch and Pascal Matthias, Associate Vice President for EDI and Social Justice at the University of Southampton will draw upon her extensive experience to explore how embracing diverse perspectives can promote understanding and empathy. Through her work, Hirsch challenges conventional narratives and encourages meaningful dialogue on the most pressing social issues of our time.