Race and Racism in Britain

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.

 “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)

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.