A case study submitted to the Research Excellence Framework 2014 demonstrating the impact of the University's research.
Professor Abdulrazak Gurnah’s most recent novel, The Last Gift, draws on his research into migration. With a focus on how different generations experience displacement, the novel exposes the corrosive power of untold stories, including family secrets.
Professor Gurnah’s previous work narrates the trajectory of British imperialism. His novel Paradise (1994) was shortlisted for the Booker Prize and challenged assumptions about empire, colonialism, migration and diaspora. The novel is now a core text on university courses around the world – helping students at all levels, as well the general reading public, to gain insight into a complex subject.
His work for radio includes contributing a programme for the acclaimed BBC Radio 4 series, A History of the World in 100 Objects, and writing for BBC Radio 3’s The Essay.
The Research Excellence Framework 2014 showed that Kent ranks 17th in the UK for research intensity, has world-leading research in all subjects and that 97% of our research is deemed to be of international quality.
Contributing to the University’s REF success were the number of our world class publications, the number of research active staff and the demonstrable impact our research has made to the sciences and to economic, social and cultural understanding.