Gary Younge is leaving The Guardian, to become a Professor of Sociology at the University of Manchester’s School of Social Sciences.
The award-winning journalist, who was named Feature Writer of the Year by Amnesty UK and the Society of Editors in 2018, has been Editor-at-Large at The Guardian since 2015.
“The Guardian was my first full time job, and I worked there for 26 years – it’s been a fantastic experience. Journalism, for me, has always been a process of enquiry and sharing whatever insights I’ve gathered in an accessible and informative way – that’s precisely what I hope to achieve as a professor at The University of Manchester, and why I’m excited to be joining the sociology department,” he explained.
“I won’t be giving up journalism altogether. But teaching and researching at Manchester will provide a welcome shift of emphasis, even as I continue in that tradition.”
Younge lived in Hertfordshire with his Barbadian parents until leaving for Sudan to teach English in a UN Eritrean refugee school when he was 17.
He returned to study French and Russian, and then journalism, before joining The Guardian in 1993. His work saw him report across Europe, Africa and the US, including time spent at The Washington Post.
He was named The Guardian’s US correspondent in 2003, before becoming editor-at-large 2 years later.
He will continue to write for the paper after leaving his post.
“Gary Younge is one of the leading thinkers and writers on politics and society working in Britain today,” added Guardian Editor-in-Chief Katharine Viner.
“His powerful and distinctive reporting, commentary and film-making have been central to the Guardian’s coverage of some of the biggest stories in the world for the last twenty years, and like many others at the Guardian, I’ve learned a huge amount from working closely with Gary — about politics, about writing, about life.”
“I’m very sorry to see him leave, but I’m delighted that he will continue to write for the Guardian – and that he will be continuing to use his talents to shine a light on some of society’s most pressing problems.”
He holds a number of Honorary Doctorates from universities in the US and the UK, and in 2016 he was made a Fellow of the Academy of Social Sciences.
“We are truly delighted that Gary will be joining us as Professor in the School of Social Sciences – his work will be of enormous benefit to the School’s students and research activities, and to the University’s engagements beyond academia,” said Professor Brian Heaphy, Head of the University’s School of Social Sciences.
“As a journalist and author, Gary’s work has long been grounded in principles of research that makes visible the social and political processes that shape people’s everyday lives, often in very tragic circumstances.”
