Not So Black and White : A History of Race from White Supremacy to Identity Politics

'The esteemed theorist on multiculturalism and race offers a longer- run perspective on contemporary race debates in an antidote to the muddiness of the "culture wars".' * Financial Times * 'Malik makes a strong case for reviving an intellectual movement that concentrates on the hard work of reducing inequality rather than indulging in the gesture politics of the new generation of radicals.' * The Times * 'Excellent.' -- New Statesman 'A consistent and compelling ... masterful history.' -- UnHerd 'A precious provocation. Combining valuable historical observations with acute political commentary, Malik unsettles the absurdities, pieties and default settings of contemporary race-talk.' -- Paul Gilroy, author of 'The Black Atlantic' 'A stunning journey through the ideas that have shaped our thinking about race over the years; a magical accomplishment that is at once nuanced and gripping.' -- Remi Adekoya, author of 'Biracial Britain' 'From one of our keenest and clearest guides through the labyrinths of identity, this book fills me with hope. A tour de force of courageous and empathetic common sense.' -- Thomas Chatterton Williams, author of 'Self-Portrait in Black and White' 'A brilliant book on one of the most important issues of our time. Malik writes with great clarity and a profound sense of purpose. If you want to read just one book on modern racism, this is the one.' -- Vivek Chibber, author of 'Postcolonial Theory and the Specter of Capital', and Professor of Sociology, New York University 'This erudite, sensitive book overturns the core assumptions of contemporary identity politics. Highly recommended for all looking beyond the narrow confines of purity politics to embrace the complexities of what it is to be human, and construct a better world.' -- Olufemi Taiwo, author of 'Against Decolonisation' 'Smart, pacy and sharply argued, this is the book you need to read about contemporary politics. Malik delves into the origins of twenty-first-century identity politics, exposes its inherent individualism, and offers thought-provoking progressive alternatives.' -- Selina Todd, author of 'The People: The Rise and Fall of the Working Class' and 'Snakes and Ladders' 'Malik attempts nothing less than to explain why we inhabit racial identity as we do today, and at what political cost. Most serious readers will quarrel with something in his argument, but political culture as a whole will be enriched by this deeply thoughtful, learned and brave work.' -- Wendy Brown, author of 'Nihilistic Times' and 'Regulating Aversion: Tolerance in the Age of Identity and Empire' 'Provides clarity on the origins of popular beliefs and assumptions about contemporary identity politics ... Not So Black and White [is] a comprehensive and persuasive guide to thinking of ways in which we can politically organise for better living conditions for the working class on the basis of shared values of liberty, equality and justice, and fight against the oppressive capitalist force of the elite, instead of fighting against each other.' -- The Irish Times '[Not So Black and White] is both a history of modern racism from the invention of race in the eighteenth century to the present day, and a powerful argument for universalism and solidarity.' -- Counterfire
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Kenan Malik is a writer, lecturer, broadcaster and Observer columnist. A former Moral Maze panellist, he has presented BBC Radio 3's Nightwaves and Radio 4's Analysis. His previous books include 'The Quest for a Moral Compass', and 'From Fatwa to Jihad', which was shortlisted for the Orwell Prize.
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