Bio
Oliver Benoit is a Professor of Sociology in the Department of Humanities and Social Sciences at St. George’s University. Dr. Benoit holds a Ph.D. in Sociology from Brandeis University in the U.S.A. and an M.F.A. degree from Plymouth University, U.K. As an artist, his paintings are in oil, acrylic, and encaustic, which have been an act of political or social commentary. His stimulating, multi-layered works present challenging interactions between his powerful themes and the textures and colours which bring them forth. Oliver Benoit’s work’s emotional, intellectual, and aesthetic power is not without his sociological insight. Benoit’s paintings are found in private collections in many countries, including England and Scotland in the United Kingdom, Germany, Canada, Japan, and Israel, as well as on public display at Grenada Embassy in Washington, DC. U.S.A.; Grenada Development Bank, Grenada museum; Museum of Nature and Culture Convention of Biodiversity, Montreal, QC. Canada.
Research & Interests
- Comparative and historical sociology
- Political sociology
- National Identity
- Caribbean studies
- Aesthetic and the visual arts in the Caribbean
- Heritage and Material Culture
Affiliations
- Oliver Benoit is a member of the Grenada Arts council and in recent years he has been involved with the Grenada Pavilion at the Venice Biennale. He is a member of the Board of Directors of Grenada Golf and Country Club. Oliver Benoit also serves as a consultant to the Institute for People’s Enlightenment in the planning of Grenada’s Heritage Symposium.
Journal Articles
- Japal, E & Benoit, O. (2017) "A Sociological Perspective of Alcohol use in the Caribbean," in International Public Health Journal, Vol. 9 No. 1. Nova Science Publishers (2012)
- "T. A. Marryshow and the Problems of National Identity Formation In Grenada," (Book Chapter). Islands and Britishness: A Global Perspective. Cambridge Scholars Publishing; (2011)
- The Question of National Identity and the Institutionalisation of the Visual Arts in Grenada. Nations and Nationalism, Vol. 17. No 3, Pages 561-580. (2007)
- "Ressentiment and the Gairy Social Revolution." Small Axe, Issue 22, (Vol. 11 No 21), pages 95-111. In 2020 he published two chapters, "Ressentiment, Nationalism and the Emergence of Political Culture in Grenada" and Heritage and National Consciousness: Bricks as Methodology and Metaphor, in The Research Handbook on Nationalism. Liah Greenfeld & Zeying Wu (Eds.) Oxford: Edward Elgar. (2020).
- His most recent publication is, "Lewis, L.D & Benoit, O. Lewis, L. The Education System of Grenada: The Place of National Identity in Educational Development" Springer (2021).