Leading through exceptional mentorship
Faculty of Arts and Science Professor Daniel McNeil has earned the Stuart Hall Outstanding Mentor Award from the Caribbean Philosophical Association (CPA).
The Stuart Hall Award honours the legacy of a legendary intellectual whose work has profoundly impacted cultural studies, media studies, and our understanding of race, identity, and representation. Stuart Hall cultivated space for a more interdisciplinary and politically engaged study of culture, power, and society throughout his career.
This award aims to acknowledge activists, artists, scholars, teachers, and theorists who have cultivated influential critical communities addressing the Association’s commitment to shifting the geography of reason in the quest for dignity, liberation, and freedom.
“I am honoured to join an illustrious group of laureates of the CPA, an organization of scholars and lay intellectuals dedicated to studying and generating ideas, with a particular emphasis on encouraging South-South dialogue.”
"Like many other people inspired by Stuart Hall’s work and ideas, I am deeply indebted to his exemplary work as a public intellectual who engaged with social and political issues, including anti-racism, multiculturalism, and social justice,” Dr. McNeil says when asked about the meaning of the award. “His openness to recognizing the struggles of those who push for inclusion amongst those protected by the state – and his ability to connect social justice and decolonial thought to the living relationships through which we seek mutual growth and understanding – continues to nudge me into deeper and fresher thinking about the politics of recognition and intellectual work.”
Dr. McNeil (Department of History, Cultural Studies) arrived at Queen’s University after being named a Queen’s National Scholar in Black Studies.
“When I read the job posting, I appreciated how the position was framed as an opportunity to explore the complexities of global Black communities as well as the connections between the arts, social justice, and decolonial thought. These features of the QNS Chair position aligned with my work in public history and public humanities, which contributed to the agency of diverse communities, fostered intellectual communities, and served as a building block for cross-disciplinary projects of study.”
During his time at the university, Dr. McNeil has earned two Black Scholars Excellence in Mentorship Awards and says mentorship is important to help people identify the myths and realities of institutions, grow within and beyond institutions, navigate institutional politics, decipher jargon, build networks, transform communities, and much, much more.
“I consider it a long-term responsibility to study with and care for others, and I continue to mentor people I met at the dawn of the twenty-first century as Director of the Oxford Access Scheme Arts Summer School and a Teaching Assistant at the University of Toronto.
“In addition to developing interdisciplinary courses in Black Intellectual History and Black Atlantic Exchanges, I’ve worked with students to bring humanities and social scientific research into the public sphere for debate, discussion and examination. This might involve, for example, developing a playlist to accompany a book that delves into the personal and social connections with music, film, and culture that have inspired multiracial groups to envision and establish social movements to dismantle racial inequalities. I have also valued the Black Studies podcast as a rich and rewarding site to discuss and develop mentorship communities with artists, activists, curators, scholars, students, and musicians.”
Dr. McNeil says that when he works with students inside and outside of academia, he cultivates space for them to express their insights across multiple platforms so that, for example, a student who may find it challenging to synthesize academic literature in a written assignment has an opportunity to synthesize material in an audiovisual presentation.
“I have been particularly impressed by the creativity of students who collaborate with faculty, staff, students, and community partners to make a practical difference in the world. I have learned much from collaborations with students in initiatives ranging from conferences and online learning resources to exhibitions in art galleries and museums.”
Learn more about the Stuart Hall Outstanding Mentor Award.