Politics of Antiracism

The question of antiracism has emerged as a critical dimension of contemporary debates about racial and ethnic relations across the globe. This edited collection brings together scholarship that examines the multifaceted nature of contemporary antiracist thought and practice.

Drawing on case studies from Britain, France, Brazil, the Dominican Republic, and Australia, the volume addresses key theoretical perspectives on antiracism, traces how antiracist movements and ideas have evolved in different national contexts and analyses their influence on policy and political agendas. The essays in this book explore pressing issues including white gatekeeping in antiracist spaces, the commodification of antiracism, the invisibility of African diaspora experiences, anti-Asian racism, and the tensions between antiracist activism and state power. The collection provides critical insights into the paradoxes, possibilities, and limitations of antiracist politics in an era of global racial reckoning.

Offering an authoritative overview of contemporary antiracist theories and strategies across diverse national environments, this volume is essential reading for scholars, students, and practitioners seeking to understand the complex landscape of antiracism in the twenty-first century. It will be of particular interest to those working in sociology, race and ethnic studies, political science, social policy, and activism studies. The chapters were originally published as a special issue of Ethnic and Racial Studies.

John Solomos is Professor Emeritus of Sociology at the University of Warwick, UK. He has researched and written widely on the history and contemporary forms of race and ethnic relations in Britain, theories of race and racism, the politics of race, equal opportunity policies, multiculturalism and social policy, race and football, and racist movements and ideas. His most recent book is Antiracism: A Critique (Polity Press, 2025). He has been Joint-Editor and Editor-in-Chief of the international journal Ethnic and Racial Studies since 1995 and is co-editor of the book series on Racism, Resistance and Social Change for Manchester University Press.