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 initiatives in Europe and North America navigate societal challenges and find ways to resist, heal and flourish. Committed to diverting power from the ivory tower and developing practical solutions through his research findings, he co-creates fictions, documentaries and experimental works with community artists and activists. He has directed the documentary ‘Polish Muslims‘, he is the author of ‘Young Muslim Change-Makers‘ and ‘Muslims in the Neoliberal Empire‘. Published in the Times, the Conversation, the Middle East Eye, the Huffington Post UK, he is also 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. The resulting book explores how society harms itself and what can ordinary citizens do about it – in the fields of arts, the environment, social and economic justice and mental health.