awrathall's review against another edition
5.0
This was an incredibly interesting and thoroughly researched overview of race relations in the UK in the age of immigration. I hadn't read such a heavy and detailed book on the subject before so it took me a while to get to grips with it - the first chapter especially is incredibly laden with terminology that is fairly difficult to understand, with many sentences requiring rereading - but Gilroy finds a more compelling voice later in the book. The 3rd and 4th chapters are especially interesting, respectively giving a view of relations between the police and migrant communities and their representation in wider culture and media, and a history of anti-racist movements in recent years both from a popular and governmental direction. The 5th chapter focusing on the expression of black culture through music is not as evidently relevant to begin with, but the greater themes Gilroy draws on in this section give more context to the points he is trying to make about the unique nature of race as a social qualifier in regards to class and other distinctions. A truly excellent exploration of black culture both inside the UK and out, with some detailed history of which I was previously not aware. Would recommend highly.
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