'Race' in Britain: Continuity and Change

'Race' in Britain (1982) provides a consideration of the place in 1970s British culture and society of the concept of ‘race’. Through a historical examination of the origins of the concept, the cultural habit of placing people into ‘races’ is placed in perspective as a social rather than a ‘natural’ phenomenon. The significance of this method of defining people and explaining the nature of the relationships between them is shown to have taken on a critical role in the response to immigration into Britain from the 1950s. ‘Race’ as a way of defining others and experiencing identity requires careful analysis, and this book explores the relations between social identity and social structure in order to unravel some of its power in shaping events in Britain.