The Unfinished Politics of Race
Histories of Political Participation, Migration, and Multiculturalism

A novel history of the politics of race in British society over the past few decades that draws on original research at local and national levels.

Les Back (Author), Michael Keith (Author), Kalbir Shukra (Author), John Solomos (Author)

9781009261319, Cambridge University Press

Hardback, published 1 December 2022

320 pages
23.5 x 15.7 x 2.2 cm, 0.6 kg

'Marx famously said that 'People make their own history, but not on conditions of their own choosing'. The Unfinished Politics of Race documents how black and ethnic groups made 'their own history' in Britain from the 1940s until today mostly outside the traditional public sphere and formal politics. Richly detailed, empirically grounded, and organized around an innovative set of political concepts, this book is destined to become the bible for understanding not only the British racial formation, but how it has been made and remade over the years.' Eduardo Bonilla-Silva, James B. Duke Distinguished Professor of Sociology, Duke University

The Unfinished Politics of Race argues that the past few decades have seen important transformations in the politics of race. Contending that existing accounts have focused narrowly on the mainstream political sphere, this study argues that there is a need to explore the role of race more widely. By exploring the mainstream as well as transitional and alternative spheres of political mobilisation the authors stress the need to link the analysis of both local and national processes in order to make sense of the changing contours of racialised politics. The underlying concern of this study is to outline both a theoretical frame for an analysis of racial politics, and detailed empirical accounts of different arenas of political mobilisation. By exploring the unfinished politics of race, this study provides a timely reminder that the position of racial and ethnic minorities in political institutions remains deeply contested.

Introduction
Part I. Beginnings: Routes to the Present
1. From Empire to Multicultural Democracy?
2. Changing Contours of Race and the Political
3. Shifting Dynamics of Race and Local Politics
Part II. Moments in Time and Place: Rethinking Everyday Politics
4 Politics of Dwelling: From Migration to Race and Back Again
5. Antiracism, Participation, and the Transitional Public Sphere
6. Cultures of the Convivial
7. Post-Secular Multiculturalism and the New Political Landscapes of Twenty First Century Britain
8. The Racial Politics of Migrant Integration and Cohesion
Part III. History in the Present: Rethinking Social Science, Migration and Race
9. From Identity Politics to an Unfinished Politics of Race
10. Present Times and Future Places.

Subject Areas: Revolutionary groups & movements [JPWQ], Pressure groups & lobbying [JPWD], Central government [JPQ], Political ideologies [JPF], Social theory [JHBA]