Race and Racism in Britain

Abstract

The new edition of Race and Racism in Britain builds on the strengths of previous editions of this widely-used text in providing a detailed and critical analysis of race relations and forms of racism in British society today. The book begins by mapping a conceptual framework that seeks to locate the British experience within a broader context which it proceeds to apply in a systematic assessment of trends, developments and political and policy debates since the 1950s.

Racism, Crisis, Brexit

“…Throughout the course of the twentieth century, from the arrival of Jewish migrants from the Tsarist Empire to the migration of Caribbean and Asian migrants, there has always been a sustained crossclass coalition of social forces opposed to their presence in Britain (Solomos 2003). Ideologically, this opposition was cohered and mobilized through narrations of the nation that effectively made such groups incompatible with membership of the state on the grounds that they were not Christian (in the case of Jews) or not white (in the case of Asians and Caribbeans) (Virdee 2014).…”

Moving on from ‘Anti-Racism’? Understandings of ‘Community Cohesion’ held by Youth Workers

“…This seems to me to be a rewriting of history. Although admittedly liberal and apolitical in relation to the reality of racism (Popple, 1997), the educational multi-culturalism of the 1970s did stress the need for mutual contact, dialogue and understanding across ethnic lines (Solomos, 2003). The blame, if any, for the policy acceptance of separate ethnic communities and lives should be put at the door of what was termed anti-racism in the wake of the early 1980s' urban disorders.…”

Divorced but still co-habiting? Britain’s Prevent/community cohesion policy tension

“…This focus on local policy mediation and enactment is particularly important because British multiculturalism has historically been significantly developed from below through local campaigning, local authority policy development and professional practice, as much as through national-level legislation and policymaking (Solomos, 2003).Both community cohesion and Prevent should be seen within this field of multiculturalist policymaking, for good or ill, because of the way they have characterised and sought to engage with essentialised minority ethnic communities, especially Muslims (Thomas, 2012). Similarly, national level multiculturalist policy initiatives have often been significantly mediated and positively adapted at the local level (something even true for the early phase of Prevent: see Husband and Alam, 2011).This highlights the importance of examining situated 'policy enactment' (Braun et al, 2010).It also suggests that, whilst Prevent has undoubtedly represented an attempt by national government to securitise its relationship with British Muslims, the 'state' itself has been divided and conflicted over its implementation, primarily on national/local basis, but also between different departments of national government.…”

“…There was also an explicit critique of the previous policy phase of 'political multiculturalism' (Solomos, 2003). That approach, initiated in the wake of an earlier phase of inner-city rioting in the early 1980s, had sought to address Britain's gross ethnic inequalities and blatant racism of the time through active policies deploying 'strategic essentialism' (Law, 1996) to improve the situation of, and facilities for, specific minority ethnic groups.…”