Race and Racism in Britain: Fourth Edition

by John Solomos

Overview

This Fourth Edition of a pioneering book provides a critical analysis of the origins and evolution of political and policy debates regarding race and racism in British society. Drawing on a broad range of both theoretical and historical research, the focus of the book is on the development of policies and debates in the period from the second half of the 20th Century to the present. The book is organized into twelve chapters which provide an overview of key trends, situating the development of policies and developments in relation to immigration and citizenship, race relations policies and broader agendas about multiculturalism and living with difference. In the substantive chapters of the book there is also a detailed discussion of such issues as policing, urban unrest and protest, racist politics, black and ethnic minority politics and conversations about multiculturalism. This new edition engages with both the historical background as well as contemporary developments to provide a novel and wide-ranging account of the role that questions about race and racism play in British society.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9783031118456
Publisher:	Springer International Publishing
Publication date:	12/15/2022
Edition description:	4th ed. 2022
Pages:	322
Product dimensions:	6.10(w) x 9.25(h) x 0.03(d)

About the Author

John Solomos is Professor of Sociology at the University of Warwick, UK. He has researched and published widely on race and racism, with a particular focus on race and politics, forms of political participation and processes of racialisation. He is the Editor in Chief of the journal Ethnic and Racial Studies.

Table of Contents

Preface
List of Tables 1 Introduction New agendas and perspectives Key themes and objectives Broadening the analytical frame Thinking about race in the present Race and racism in British society Outline of the book 2 Theorising Race and Racism Origins of a research field Evolving theories and perspectives Limitations and absences Rethinking the study of race and racism Race, culture, and identity politics Theories, politics, and social change 3 Histories of Racialisation and Migration Histories of race and racialisation Irish migration and settlement Jewish immigration and the racial other Race and racism in the early twentieth century Racial formations and the empire at home Englishness, Britishness, and national identity Histories of the present 4 Race, Immigration and Citizenship Race, immigration, and British society Migration, colonial labour, and the state Immigration and racialised politics Immigration controls and state racism Changing terms of political debate Powellism and the question of race Institutionalising immigration controls Race and immigration under Thatcher and Major Rethinking race, immigration, and citizenship 5 Rethinking the Boundaries of Race and Nation New Labour, new policies? Changing policy climates and immigration Brexit and beyond New dynamics, or old problems? Looking forward 6 Race Relations Policies and Social Justice Tackling racial discrimination Race relations legislation From policy to practice New Labour and racial equality What kind of future? 7 Policing and Criminal Justice Crime, race, and policing Urban change and law and order Policing minority communities Mugging, street violence and the state Racialisation and popular images Policing and violent disorder Racialisation, crime, and policing Stephen Lawrence, Macpherson, and institutional racism Race and policing today 8 Urban Unrest, Protest and Disorder Situating urban unrest Riots, urban unrest, and disorder Protest and social exclusion in 2001 Race and disorder in 2011 Urban unrest in the present and the future 9 Nationalism, Mobilisation and Racist Politics Race, nation, identity Nationalism re-made New forms of racist mobilisation The naturalisation of racism Nation, identity, and the interests of the majority Re-imagining the nation through race Changing forms of racism? 10 Minority Politics and Representation Modalities of political participation Minority political mobilisation Changing patterns of minority politics Community based politics Race and representation Representation in Parliament Antiracist politics and political mobilisation New forms of protest Political inclusion and relations of power 11 Multiculturalism, Diversity, and Difference Diversity, race, and ethnicity Multiculturalism, diversity, and the nation Culture, religion, and identity Living with religious and cultural difference Religion, community cohesion and social policy Redefining the boundaries of belonging 12 Race and Racism Today Where are we? And how did we get here? Dominant definitions of race and social problems Protest, reform, and social change Conversations about the future Bibliography

Index

What People are Saying About This

From the Publisher

“Race and Racism in Britain has been a classic text in the field since its first publication in 1989, informing and inspiring generations of students, researchers, and academics. This 4th Edition traces new developments in the field, and crucially locates them in the longer history of race, racism, and resistance in Britain. Written with John Solomos’ trademark accessibility, encyclopaedic knowledge and intellectual curiosity, this book explores a wide range of historical and contemporary issues and will inspire a new generation of thinkers.” (Claire Alexander, Professor of Sociology, University of Manchester, UK)

“Anchored in political and policy trends, this book is timely, original, insightful, and conceptually sophisticated. Spanning over eight decades, this fourth edition of Race and Racism in Britain charts the evolution of political and policy agendas to uncover the complexities of contemporary racialised debates about race, immigration, and race relations; and the shifting patterns of racialised inequalities in British society. This is an essential and accessible resource for students, teachers, and researchers to understand the changing terrain, and the role of race and racism in British society.” (Ravinder Barn, Professor of Social Policy, Royal Holloway, University of London, UK)

“This work is the impressive fourth edition of a book that first appeared three decades ago. It thus not only allows for a current and updated reading of a highly complex theorisation of racism. It is also a testimony to a historical phase of accelerated globalisation, in which both Britain's Europeanisation and Brexit fall. During this period, hopes for a time "after racism" had existed just as a global reconfiguration of racism went hand in hand with the British government's outright denial of institutional racism. The book does not avoid these related complex issues for a contemporary understanding of racism. Indeed, in the best sense of critical scholarship, Solomos has developed it further in dialogue with students who, as a subsequent generation, have repeatedly questioned and challenged his understanding - and thus contributed to its updating. This is exactly what one reads out of it. And that is why one wishes the book many more readers.” (Manuela Bojadzijev, Professor at the Institute for European Ethnology, and the Berlin Institute for Migration Research (BIM) at Humboldt University, Germany)

“John Solomos’ authoritative work has long been a central reference on the origins and trajectory of racism and race politics in Britain. This fourth edition underlines how these questions are more central than ever to any account of British society today, reconsidering the weight of the past in the light of dramatic developments such as the Black Lives Matter movements, and the heavily racialised effects of the Covid crisis.” (Adrian Favell, Director of Radical Humanities Laboratory, University College Cork, Ireland)

“In areas of immense complexity that are changing at an often frightening pace, there is a desperate need for an accessible, comprehensive, and well-informed overview covering race and racism in modern Britain. The fourth edition of this classic book does just that and much more. It provides a roadmap of theoretical approaches achieved with absolute clarity. Whilst the focus is on the post-war world, there is authoritative coverage of the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Post-1945, there are illuminating case studies which manage to take the reader right up to Brexit and Black Lives Matter. To have covered this ground using the best of interdisciplinary approaches and to do so in a compelling manner is a stunning achievement. This is a must-have book for all those studying and engaging in these critical questions facing Britain today.” (Tony Kushner, Professor of History, Parkes Institute, University of Southampton, UK)

“This book encompasses so much – from the conceptual and the theoretical to the historical and contemporary state of race in Britain. It skilfully takes the reader (both student and faculty) through longstanding and new political concerns, drawing from scholarly ideas situated within the context of citizenship, belonging, and social policy, more broadly. It is so engagingly written and accessible without neglecting the complexities of the field.” (Coretta Phillips, Professor of Social Policy, London School of Economics, UK)

“There is no other book about race and racism in Britain that provides this historical coverage of racial politics, immigration, multiculturalism, and nationalism - and in this latest edition, against the backdrop of post-Brexit Britain. This book will be indispensable to both students and scholars of various disciplinary backgrounds.” (Miri Song, Professor of Sociology, University of Kent, UK)

Editorial Reviews

Revised edition of Race and Racism in Contemporary Britain (1989). Combines a review of the main theoretical debates with a detailed analysis of policy and practice. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

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