The contemporary left, racialised capitalism and ending racism

This article considers two key questions raised by Solomos in his new book Antiracism. First, to what extent did previous modalities of antiracism make a tangible difference to the lives of racialised minorities? And second, what might the end of racism look like? Through an examination of events in 1980s Britain, I show how antiracism prised open key institutional structures of British society contributing to making black and brown lives more liveable. However, the story subsequently has not been one of linear progression towards greater racial justice; instead, many of the gains for the black and brown working class have been reversed, particularly since the financial crisis and the imposition of austerity. Turning to the second question, I contend the end of racism can only be actualised by making transparent that which is occluded in Solomos’ discussion, namely, the part played by capitalism and geopolitical conflict in reproducing racism.