Radicals against race

the long version

"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.