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Black British History: New Perspectives
For more than a thousand years, people of African descent have played a significant and far-ranging role in Britain’s history, from the African soldiers on Hadrian’s Wall to the black British intellectuals who made London a hub of pan-African and radical ideas. But while interest in this history has grown, there has still been little recognition of the sheer breadth and diversity of the black British experience. This collection aims to change that by bringing together established and emerging scholars of black history to tell a wider story. Its contributions span the centuries from the first black Britons of the Roman period, to the civil rights activism of Black Lives Matter today, covering everything from Shakespeare to abolitionism.
The contributors make use of the latest in documentary research and archaeology as well as interviews, providing an invaluable resource for both future scholarship and those looking for a useful introduction to black British history. The result is a work of unparalleled range and depth in a still-neglected field, which has the potential to transform our often narrow views of world history.
The contributors make use of the latest in documentary research and archaeology as well as interviews, providing an invaluable resource for both future scholarship and those looking for a useful introduction to black British history. The result is a work of unparalleled range and depth in a still-neglected field, which has the potential to transform our often narrow views of world history.
- GenresHistoryNonfiction
229 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2019
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
December 24, 2019
Each chapter of this book takes a rigorous look at an element of our British history that has been conveniently ignored or deliberately omitted. The momentous events and movements discussed need to be on the school curriculum under History – not consigned to a Black History Month (if that) and not glossed over with the ‘faraway’ American civil rights struggles instead. The very real detachment we see in Britain today, when it comes to understanding racism, stems from this severe lack of education.
The eleven chapters edited by Hakim Adi span early-modern England through to present-day Britain. They are academic in style with excerpts and footnotes (and almost all the writers are academics at various stages of their study), but most are accessible and enjoyable to read. There is a little bit of overlap and repetition between them. To complement the reading, there are a number of alt history documentaries emerging that bring this research to life.
I’ll summarise what stayed with me from each chapter:
Chapter 1 by Onyeka Nubia looks at the linguistic terms to describe black individuals in early-modern England, and the possibilities of a ‘black sense of self’ or an indicator of agency in the naming process.
Chapter 2 by Molly Corlett looks at how colonial power relations manifested back in England, including the language used in newspapers to describe runaway servants and so on.
Chapter 3 by John Siblon felt especially pertinent in light of recent discussions on war commemorations. It goes through a succession of events that show an intentional erasure of the names of non-white servicemen fighting for Britain since World War One.
Chapter 4 by Kesawa John looks at the Caribbean radicals who protested conscription in Britain’s wars with a focus on George Padmore, and contributions from Aimé Césaire and Chris Braithwaite (Jones). The huge anti-colonial movements outlined in this chapter are fascinating.
Chapter 5 by Kevin Searle explores the segregation and tensions between Caribbean and Polish labourers who were brought in to help build post-war Britain by taking up lowly jobs – leading to ‘riots’ in 1949.
Chapter 6 by Kennetta Perry is one of my personal favourites, as it forges the required links between different international historical moments. It brings in Claudia Jones, James Baldwin, Malcolm X, Angela Davis and the Mangrove Nine case.
Chapter 7 by Chris Johnson explores a number of grassroots activist movements from the ‘60s and ‘70s, and how they were targeted by the state. It brings in Tony Soares, Ansel Wong and Olive Morris, among others.
Chapter 8 by Claudius Adisa Steven discusses the history of Pan-African awakening and spirituality in Britain, beginning with the impact of the Pan-African Congress conferences.
Chapter 9 by Carol Pierre discusses the New Cross Fire of 1981 which killed 13 black teenagers and initiated the biggest black protest to date. Although not mentioned here (perhaps it went to print before the incident) there are remarkable parallels with the Grenfell Tower Fire aftermath – particularly in state response. This gave the chapter more significance for me.
Chapter 10 by Esther Stanford-Xosei takes an in-depth look at what reparations actually entails. It discusses various British reparations movements leading to the author’s own work and activism in the present day.
Chapter 11 by Christopher Roy Zembe investigates the legacy of Black Zimbabweans in Britain and how Shona/Ndebele tensions have manifested in the diaspora.
This book is well worth your time if you want to learn more about Black Britain.
The eleven chapters edited by Hakim Adi span early-modern England through to present-day Britain. They are academic in style with excerpts and footnotes (and almost all the writers are academics at various stages of their study), but most are accessible and enjoyable to read. There is a little bit of overlap and repetition between them. To complement the reading, there are a number of alt history documentaries emerging that bring this research to life.
I’ll summarise what stayed with me from each chapter:
Chapter 1 by Onyeka Nubia looks at the linguistic terms to describe black individuals in early-modern England, and the possibilities of a ‘black sense of self’ or an indicator of agency in the naming process.
Chapter 2 by Molly Corlett looks at how colonial power relations manifested back in England, including the language used in newspapers to describe runaway servants and so on.
Chapter 3 by John Siblon felt especially pertinent in light of recent discussions on war commemorations. It goes through a succession of events that show an intentional erasure of the names of non-white servicemen fighting for Britain since World War One.
Chapter 4 by Kesawa John looks at the Caribbean radicals who protested conscription in Britain’s wars with a focus on George Padmore, and contributions from Aimé Césaire and Chris Braithwaite (Jones). The huge anti-colonial movements outlined in this chapter are fascinating.
Chapter 5 by Kevin Searle explores the segregation and tensions between Caribbean and Polish labourers who were brought in to help build post-war Britain by taking up lowly jobs – leading to ‘riots’ in 1949.
Chapter 6 by Kennetta Perry is one of my personal favourites, as it forges the required links between different international historical moments. It brings in Claudia Jones, James Baldwin, Malcolm X, Angela Davis and the Mangrove Nine case.
Chapter 7 by Chris Johnson explores a number of grassroots activist movements from the ‘60s and ‘70s, and how they were targeted by the state. It brings in Tony Soares, Ansel Wong and Olive Morris, among others.
Chapter 8 by Claudius Adisa Steven discusses the history of Pan-African awakening and spirituality in Britain, beginning with the impact of the Pan-African Congress conferences.
Chapter 9 by Carol Pierre discusses the New Cross Fire of 1981 which killed 13 black teenagers and initiated the biggest black protest to date. Although not mentioned here (perhaps it went to print before the incident) there are remarkable parallels with the Grenfell Tower Fire aftermath – particularly in state response. This gave the chapter more significance for me.
Chapter 10 by Esther Stanford-Xosei takes an in-depth look at what reparations actually entails. It discusses various British reparations movements leading to the author’s own work and activism in the present day.
Chapter 11 by Christopher Roy Zembe investigates the legacy of Black Zimbabweans in Britain and how Shona/Ndebele tensions have manifested in the diaspora.
This book is well worth your time if you want to learn more about Black Britain.
December 26, 2020
A fascinating collection of essays on a subject most Britons desperately need to know more about, a genuine must read
December 31, 2025
Wenn wir bislang glaubten, die Geschichte Großbritanniens sei ein in Stein gemeißeltes Epos weißer Männer mit Perücken, dann ist dieses Buch der maßgebliche Plot Twist. Hakim Adi und sein Team von elf „Geschichtsdetektiven“ dekonstruieren das, was sie den sacred white space nennen – ein philosophisches und historiografisches Konstrukt, das die Anwesenheit von Menschen afrikanischer Herkunft auf den britischen Inseln über nahezu zwei Jahrtausende hinweg schlicht „wegmeditiert“ hat.
1. Die Ontologie des Cheddar Man: Wer war zuerst da?
Das Buch beginnt mit einer köstlichen Ironie: Während die Daily Mail noch über „Überfremdung“ zittert, erinnert uns die DNA-Forschung an den Cheddar Man – jenen Ur-Briten, der vor rund 10.000 Jahren mit dunkler Haut und blauen Augen durch Somerset ging. Philosophisch betrachtet kollabiert hier das Konzept nationaler Reinheit in sich selbst: Der „Andere“ war da, bevor es überhaupt ein „Wir“ gab. Afrikanische Legionäre am Hadrianswall oder schwarze Trompeter am Hof der Tudors erscheinen nicht als exotische Randfiguren, sondern als Mitgestalter einer Realität, die erst nachträglich weißgewaschen wurde.
2. Die Macht des Namens: Agency im Archiv
Besonders eindrücklich – auch im Sinne der Diskussion um das trauma colonial bei Lazali – ist Onyeka Nubias Analyse der sogenannten „Blackamoores“. Anhand von Figuren wie Mary Filis aus Morisco zeigt er, dass diese Menschen im 16. Jahrhundert über eine bemerkenswerte Agency verfügten: Sie benannten sich selbst, lange bevor die rassistischen Pseudowissenschaften des 18. Jahrhunderts sie in starre Kategorien zwängten. Es ist ein Akt existenzieller Selbstbehauptung: „Ich nenne mich, also bin ich“. Der Band verabschiedet damit den Windrush-Mythos – die Vorstellung, alles beginne erst 1948 – und entfaltet stattdessen eine lange, kontinuierliche Geschichte von Präsenz, Widerstand und Sichtbarkeit: vom versklavten Bartholemew im Jahr 1259 bis zum New-Cross-Massaker 1981.
3. Maangamizi: Landschaften von Schuld und Reparatur
In einer Linie mit Heiner Müllers Auftrag thematisiert das Werk die Maangamizi – das Kontinuum von Gewalt, Enteignung und Vernichtung. Doch anstatt im kafkaesken Labyrinth der Ohnmacht zu verharren, formuliert der Band eine Perspektive reparativer Gerechtigkeit. Gemeint ist nicht nur finanzielle Entschädigung, sondern eine Heilung des Wissens selbst: cognitive justice. So wird das Buch mehr als Geschichtsschreibung – es wird zu einem philosophischen Werkzeugkasten, um die Trümmer kolonialer Fälschung beiseitezuräumen und Raum für eine neue, hybride Identität zu schaffen.
Wer dieses Buch liest, wird feststellen, dass der „Himmel, der uns auf den Kopf fällt“ (um Sylvie Brunel zu bemühen), in Wahrheit nur das alte, morsche Dach einer eurozentrischen Geschichtsschreibung ist. Ein Werk von solcher Dichte, dass man – wie nach der Lektüre Heiner Müllers – erst einmal tief durchatmen muss. Und vielleicht ein Glas guten Wein öffnen, um die Weite dieser wieder freigelegten Zeit überhaupt auszuhalten.
1. Die Ontologie des Cheddar Man: Wer war zuerst da?
Das Buch beginnt mit einer köstlichen Ironie: Während die Daily Mail noch über „Überfremdung“ zittert, erinnert uns die DNA-Forschung an den Cheddar Man – jenen Ur-Briten, der vor rund 10.000 Jahren mit dunkler Haut und blauen Augen durch Somerset ging. Philosophisch betrachtet kollabiert hier das Konzept nationaler Reinheit in sich selbst: Der „Andere“ war da, bevor es überhaupt ein „Wir“ gab. Afrikanische Legionäre am Hadrianswall oder schwarze Trompeter am Hof der Tudors erscheinen nicht als exotische Randfiguren, sondern als Mitgestalter einer Realität, die erst nachträglich weißgewaschen wurde.
2. Die Macht des Namens: Agency im Archiv
Besonders eindrücklich – auch im Sinne der Diskussion um das trauma colonial bei Lazali – ist Onyeka Nubias Analyse der sogenannten „Blackamoores“. Anhand von Figuren wie Mary Filis aus Morisco zeigt er, dass diese Menschen im 16. Jahrhundert über eine bemerkenswerte Agency verfügten: Sie benannten sich selbst, lange bevor die rassistischen Pseudowissenschaften des 18. Jahrhunderts sie in starre Kategorien zwängten. Es ist ein Akt existenzieller Selbstbehauptung: „Ich nenne mich, also bin ich“. Der Band verabschiedet damit den Windrush-Mythos – die Vorstellung, alles beginne erst 1948 – und entfaltet stattdessen eine lange, kontinuierliche Geschichte von Präsenz, Widerstand und Sichtbarkeit: vom versklavten Bartholemew im Jahr 1259 bis zum New-Cross-Massaker 1981.
3. Maangamizi: Landschaften von Schuld und Reparatur
In einer Linie mit Heiner Müllers Auftrag thematisiert das Werk die Maangamizi – das Kontinuum von Gewalt, Enteignung und Vernichtung. Doch anstatt im kafkaesken Labyrinth der Ohnmacht zu verharren, formuliert der Band eine Perspektive reparativer Gerechtigkeit. Gemeint ist nicht nur finanzielle Entschädigung, sondern eine Heilung des Wissens selbst: cognitive justice. So wird das Buch mehr als Geschichtsschreibung – es wird zu einem philosophischen Werkzeugkasten, um die Trümmer kolonialer Fälschung beiseitezuräumen und Raum für eine neue, hybride Identität zu schaffen.
Wer dieses Buch liest, wird feststellen, dass der „Himmel, der uns auf den Kopf fällt“ (um Sylvie Brunel zu bemühen), in Wahrheit nur das alte, morsche Dach einer eurozentrischen Geschichtsschreibung ist. Ein Werk von solcher Dichte, dass man – wie nach der Lektüre Heiner Müllers – erst einmal tief durchatmen muss. Und vielleicht ein Glas guten Wein öffnen, um die Weite dieser wieder freigelegten Zeit überhaupt auszuhalten.
August 14, 2019
Through this book I am getting in contact with many historic details that were not in our History books. Isn't a fluid lecture, the articles offers a series of technical details and data appointments followed by the impressions of the authors. So far, what blowed my mind, as a Brazilian from the 80's, is the fact that historians were not impartials due to sponsorchips, painting Europe as a 100% caucasian. It made me think about how much our minds and opinions are manipulated through state education! I never know even about Cheddarman!
Is really a book to have it! Adding the new things I learned: about the first racists riots against black people in UK and how black people organised to fight for their rights, how this fight is related with other countries and finally I learned the word "glocally" from this book.
Is really a book to have it! Adding the new things I learned: about the first racists riots against black people in UK and how black people organised to fight for their rights, how this fight is related with other countries and finally I learned the word "glocally" from this book.
September 20, 2020
Very interesting...
March 22, 2023
An interesting and well written collection of essays. Though I wish there were more essays written about the earlier part of British history.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews