Ebun Joseph


Ebun Joseph Akpoveta is a Nigerian-Irish lecturer, author, and consultant. She is co-founder and module coordinator of the first Black Studies module in Ireland at University College Dublin.

Career

Ebun Joseph first trained as a microbiologist at the University of Benin. She went on to work as the Administrative Secretary for the Nigerian Britain Association before emigrating to Ireland in 2002. She received an MA in Education, Adult Guidance and Counselling from Maynooth University. She was awarded a PhD in Equality Studies from the UCD School of Social Justice, and has lectured in Trinity College Dublin and University College Dublin. Joseph is a lecturer on social policy, equality, migration and race at UCD. She is the coordinator of the first Black Studies module in Ireland at UCD, which she established with Prof Kathleen Lynch in 2019. She is also a career-development specialist. Joseph is a career development consultant with the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland and a race relations consultant.
Joseph is the chairperson and founder of the African Scholars Association Ireland. She also founded The Unforgettable Women’s Network and is a founding member of the African Women Writers Ireland. She is a columnist for the African Voice newspaper. Joseph has spoken about her experiences of racism in Ireland as well as highlighting the prejudices that other minorities, such as the Travelling community, can face.
She is an advocate for the ending of Direct Provision, and has spoken about the relevance of Black Lives Matter in Ireland. In 2020, in light of protests and increased coverage of racism in Ireland, Joseph has spoken about the importance of education about tackling racism that begins in the home as well as outlining more personal strategies for countering everyday racism. She has cited the need to overhaul the Irish education system to also incorporate anti-racist material into the curriculum, as well as the need for more diversity within teaching staff. She has highlighted stories from young black Irish people about the racism they experienced in schools. She has spoken about her own experiences of racism in Ireland, including the use of a racist parody Twitter account pretending to be her. Joseph has convened a number of virtual townhall meetings, bringing together black academics, writers and others to talk about issues relating to racism in Ireland. She has also commented on the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on Irish workers who are black or people of colour.
In 2020, Joseph supported the Shelbourne Hotel's decision to remove four statues of black women, which were claimed to depict African slaves, from outside their hotel. She has also commented on the international movement to remove statues which commemorate those who engaged in or profited from the slave trade.

Personal life

Joseph was born Ebun Joseph Akpoveta in Nigeria in 1970, first living in Okpe and later Benin City. She has six siblings. Her father was a politician, and a commissioner for education and finance. She has two sons, and lives in Dublin.

Selected publications