Professor Robert Beckford

Robert Beckford PhD is professor of Black Theology at Queen's

He is a scholar-activist researching the intersections of faith and racial justice in and through diverse media texts.

He has written a dozen books which triangulate the fields of theology, cultural studies and politics.

Beckford is a BAFTA award winning documentary filmmaker. He has written and presented over twenty films for the BBC, Channel 4 and Discovery USA. His films explore a range of themes including political critiques of the British Empire, biblical history and popular culture.

Robert’s creative reach extends into drama and black British urban music production. In 2017, his debut radio drama was broadcast on the BBC Regions. ‘Jesus Piece’ is a fictional account of a reformed gang member turned Pentecostal preacher-detective. Beckford’s current research is a practical theo-musicological project ‘The Jamaican Bible Remix Project’. Taking the form of a studio album, the project inscribes black liberation theology in urban music (grime, drum and bass, and UK Soul).