2 - Changing Contours of Race and the Political

Summary

In this chapter, we move on to describe and analyse the changing contours of race and the political in the second half of the twentieth century. We argue that rather than seeing the politics of race through the lens of the mainstream political sphere, we need to pay close attention to other spheres of politics, particularly in the alternative and transitional spheres that emerged over the past few decades to give voice to the mobilisations of black and minority communities. This in turn links up with the analysis in the substantive chapters of the book that are framed around the often messy and evolving connections between these spheres of political life and culture.