[micaelo]

Hello! Sorry, I’ve got one of those horrible grammar terminology questions to ask you. In the following sentence, I’m supposed to decide whether the fragment between commas is a noun phrase or a clause:
With two white grandfathers, and having been brought up as a Methodist in a Roman Catholic community, Walcott is ideally placed to express the Caribbean’s confusions of cultural identity.
Apparently, it’s a noun phrase, but I can’t really see why, as the verb is declined as a present perfect passive, and so, to my understanding, is working as a verb. Could someone help me with this one, please?