Synopses & Reviews
In this, the first ethnographic exploration of gender, race, and class practices among British-born or British-raised Arabs in London, Ramy M. K. Aly looks critically at the idea of and#147;Arab-nessand#8221; and the ways in which London produces, marks, and understands ethnic subjects. Looking at everyday experiences,
Becoming Arab in London explores the lives of young people and the ways in which they perform or achieve Arab ethnicity. Aly uncovers narratives of growing up in London, the codes of sociability at Shisha, and the sexual politics and ethnic self-portraits that construct British-Arab men and women.
and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160; Drawing on the work of Judith Butler, Aly emphasizes the need to move away from the concept of identity and toward the idea of race, gender, and class as performance. Based on seven years of fieldwork, during which time the author immersed himself in Londonand#8217;s Arab community, Becoming Arab in London is an innovative and necessary contribution to the study of diaspora and difference in contemporary Britain.
Synopsis
Gilroy demonstrates the enormous complexity of racial politics in England today. Exploring the relationships among race, class, and nation as they have evolved over the past twenty years, he highlights racist attitudes that transcend the left-right political divide. He challenges current sociological approaches to racism as well as the ethnocentric bias of British cultural studies.
Gilroy demonstrates effectively that cultural traditions are not static, but develop, grow and indeed mutate, as they influence and are influenced by the other changing traditions around them.--David Edgar, Listener Review of Books.
A fascinating analysis of the discourses that have accompanied black settlement in Britain. . . . An important addition to the stock of critical works on race and culture.--David Okuefuna, Chicago Tribune
Synopsis
A brilliant and explosive exploration of racial discourses, this text provided a powerful new direction for race relations in Britain and is still dynamite today.
Synopsis
This classic book is a powerful indictment of contemporary attitudes to race. By accusing British intellectuals and politicians on both sides of the political divide of refusing to take race seriously, Paul Gilroy caused immediate uproar when this book was first published in 1987. A brilliant and explosive exploration of racial discourses, There Ain t No Black in the Union Jack provided a powerful new direction for race relations in Britain. Still dynamite today and as relevant as ever, this Routledge Classics edition includes a new introduction by the author.
About the Author
Ramy M. K. Aly is a post-doctoral fellow in the Department of Anthropology at the American University in Cairo.
Table of Contents
Introduction
1. Critical Junctures in the Making of Arab London
2. Learning to be Arab: Growing Up in London
3. Going For Shisha: Doing Ethnicity, Gender and Class
4. Dancing Class: Choreographing Arabness in London
5. Reclaiming the Orient Through the Diasporic Gaze
6. Performativity and The Undoing of Identity.
Bibliography
Notes
Index