Racism, crisis, Brexit

Virdee, S. and McGeever, B. (2018) Racism, crisis, Brexit. Ethnic and Racial Studies, 41(10), pp. 1802-1819. (doi: 10.1080/01419870.2017.1361544)

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Abstract

This article offers a conjunctural analysis of the financial and political crisis within which Brexit occurred with a specific attentiveness to race and racism. Brexit and its aftermath have been overdetermined by racism, including racist violence. We suggest that the Leave campaign secured its victory by bringing together two contradictory but inter-locking visions. The first comprises an imperial longing to restore Britain’s place in the world as primus inter pares that occludes any coming to terms with the corrosive legacies of colonial conquest and racist subjugation. The second takes the form of an insular, Powellite narrative of island retreat from a “globalizing” world, one that is no longer recognizably “British”. Further, the article argues that an invisible driver of the Brexit vote and its racist aftermath has been a politicization of Englishness. We conclude by outlining some resources of hope that could potentially help to negotiate the current emergency.

Item Type:Articles
Status:Published
Refereed:Yes
Glasgow Author(s) Enlighten ID:Virdee, Professor Satnam
Authors: Virdee, S., and McGeever, B.
College/School:College of Social Sciences > School of Social and Political Sciences > Sociology Anthropology and Applied Social Sciences
Journal Name:Ethnic and Racial Studies
Publisher:Taylor & Francis
ISSN:0141-9870
ISSN (Online):1466-4356
Published Online:21 August 2017
Copyright Holders:Copyright © 2017 The Authors
First Published:First published in Ethnic and Racial Studies 41(10): 1802-1819
Publisher Policy:Reproduced under a Creative Commons License

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Project CodeAward NoProject NamePrincipal InvestigatorFunder's NameFunder RefLead Dept
592091Understanding the changes in ethnic relations: understanding the dynamics of ethnicity, identity and inequality in the uk.Satnam VirdeeEconomic and Social Research Council (ESRC)ES/K002198/1SPS - SOCIOLOGY