William Barylo (PhD) is a Sociologist and visual artist using pictures and film to explore social issues from a decolonial and restorative perspective. He looks at how grassroots organisations from minority backgrounds resist, heal and flourish despite systemic exclusion and lack of resources. Keen on developing practical solutions, he co-creates visual content with community artists and organisers. He has directed the documentary ‘Polish Muslims‘, has been published in the Times, the Conversation, the Middle East Eye, the Huffington Post UK and he is the author of ‘Young Muslim Change-Makers‘. He is co-founder and director of Genera Consulting.
Currently a Research Fellow at the University of Warwick, his action-research project ‘Muslims in the Neoliberal Empire‘, conducted over the past 10 years, has received a British Academy grant of £366,000 and explores how Muslim millennials in Europe craft a fairer society through their cultural heritage, religious ethics, arts, the environment, social and economic justice and mental health.
Having experienced domestic violence and homelessness, he equips people with practical and soft skills to understand, navigate and heal in various social contexts.