Radicals against race
Subtitle: Black activism and cultural politics
By: Brian W. Alleyne.
Publisher: Berg
Published: 2002
Place of publication: Oxford, UK; New York
Language: eng
Number of pages: 218
Subjects: La Rose, John; New Beacon Books -- Bibliography; New Beacon Books; Blacks -- Great Britain -- Political activity; Blacks -- Great Britain -- History -- 20th century; Culture -- Political aspects -- Great Britain -- History -- 20th century; Blacks -- Great Britain -- Politics and government; Great Britain -- Race relations -- History -- 20th century
Description: "This book offers an account of Black cultural politics in Britain by providing a 'bio-ethnography' of an influential, but understudied, political group. It tells the story of New Beacon Books, founded in London in 1966 as a publishing house, bookshop and international book service, and an affiliated community education and research institute New Beacon quickly became the focus point for a group of activists who have ever since, been fervently engaged in social movements and politics concerning education, culture, class, race and citizenship.

The wider group of parents, teachers lawyers, social workers, writers and artists who make up the New Beacon Circle have worked to combat what they see as a form of cultural hegemony that attempts to marginalize the working class and ethnic minorities in Britain."

"This book interrogates the ideas and practices of the New Beacon Circle's activists as relatively stable elements in the fast-changing scene of contemporary radical politics. Highlighting how biography and self representation have important cultural, theoretical and political implications, Alleyne succeeds in making an original contribution to a growing literature on autobiography as a rich resource for understanding social and political theory. He also provides an engaging account of a neglected area of British Activism. This book will be of interest to social anthropologists, sociologists, and anyone interested in the history of British activism or race and ethnic studies."--Jacket.
Notes: Includes bibliographical references (p. 197-210) and index.
Table of contents: title: Beginnings : the politics of the word; title: Cultural revolutionaries; title: Activist work and the workings of activism; title: Slow builder and consolidator : a life history of John La Rose; title: "Life experience with Britain"; title: Radical lifework; title: Appendix I : New Beacon publications, 1966-1999; title: Appendix II : scope of the George Padmore Institute's archive; title: Appendix III : activist network centred around New Beacon.