Doctor Vivienne Connell-Hall
Nationality: United Kingdom
Year: 1998
Subject Area: Social Sciences
The funds granted to me by the Wingate Foundation were for my original project to undertake doctoral research in race equality policies in the public sector at the University of Warwick (Centre for Research in Ethnic Relations). My Thesis was titled “From Equal Opportunities to Diversity: A Study of Afro-Caribbean Career Progression in the Public Sector”.
Due to a bout of serious illness between 2000 and 2003, there was a period of suspension in the research but, thankfully, I recovered sufficiently to complete my thesis in August 2006. I continue to work as a civil servant and the research has enabled me to contribute to my department’s equality agenda by feeding academic research into policy formulation through the Chairman’s Diversity Forum, of which I was a member. In addition, the results and recommendations from the research have been made available to HR practitioners in one Civil Service department as well as my trade union in order that they may inform and contribute further to wider equality issues and debates.
I am hoping to collaborate with a fellow female, Afro-Caribbean social researcher to work on a gender-based project in 2008, subject to funding, and return to part-time lecturing.