Professor Keon West
Small Group Project 2016-17
The Marlon James conundrum: Perceptions of masculinity and anti-gay prejudice in Jamaica
With Kate Houlden
This research will investigate whether and how a successful, gay, Jamaican such as Marlon James can challenge existing models of masculinity and reduce anti-gay prejudice. Its thesis is that exposure to alternative models of gendered behaviour (as represented by both James and his fiction), will reduce anti-gay prejudice through a shift in the cultural understanding of masculinity.
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Biography
Keon West is a former President of the Society for the Psychological Study of Social Issues (SPSSI), author of the bestseller The Science of Racism, and Head of Research at the Runneymede Trust.
After completing his doctorate in Experimental Psychology at Balliol College, Oxford, (Jamaica, 2006, Rhodes Scholarship), Keon built an internationally respected research portfolio, focusing on prejudice, social identity, and intergroup relations. He collaborates with researchers internationally (eg, Jamaica, US, Italy, Germany, Belgium) and with NGOs engaged in prejudice-reducing work. He draws on quantitative, experimental methodologies to address urgent social issues, including racism, sexism, and anti-gay prejudice.
Keon is currently the co-editor of the highly regarded US-based international journal Social Issues and Policy Review and a forthcoming Sage Handbook on Diversity, Equity and Inclusion. His book The Science of Racismprovides a comprehensive, public-facing account of the vast weight of scientific evidence for the existence of racism. Published in the UK and US (2025), and forthcoming in French and Japanese translations, it has been positively reviewed by leading media including The Guardian, The Independent, The Spectator, Financial Times, New Scientist, and Science. Sathnam Sanghera described it as "illuminating, surprising, unnerving, moving [and] utterly necessary for this time in history."
After completing his doctorate in Experimental Psychology at Balliol College, Oxford, (Jamaica, 2006, Rhodes Scholarship), Keon built an internationally respected research portfolio, focusing on prejudice, social identity, and intergroup relations. He collaborates with researchers internationally (eg, Jamaica, US, Italy, Germany, Belgium) and with NGOs engaged in prejudice-reducing work. He draws on quantitative, experimental methodologies to address urgent social issues, including racism, sexism, and anti-gay prejudice.
Keon is currently the co-editor of the highly regarded US-based international journal Social Issues and Policy Review and a forthcoming Sage Handbook on Diversity, Equity and Inclusion. His book The Science of Racismprovides a comprehensive, public-facing account of the vast weight of scientific evidence for the existence of racism. Published in the UK and US (2025), and forthcoming in French and Japanese translations, it has been positively reviewed by leading media including The Guardian, The Independent, The Spectator, Financial Times, New Scientist, and Science. Sathnam Sanghera described it as "illuminating, surprising, unnerving, moving [and] utterly necessary for this time in history."
Biographical details correct as of 21.05.26