Glad this was recommended to me and I will definitely be recommending this to many others.
Even moreso, the shift that occurred, where the working-classes were first allies to black people and then economic rivals who perpetuated the racist ideology that was invented by the elite a century or two before.īecause of the depth of research Fryer engaged in to write this book, it can definitely be used as a starting point into research on black history. Additionally, I was interested in the origins of racism and how fascinated about the fact that it a top-down process, promoted by the elite in science and the arts, and how racist ideology often stemmed from the need to defend slavery and colonialism - hence, its roots were economic. In reading this book, not only did I learn about the early presence of black people in Britain but I also learnt about their significance in British history. I learnt so much about black history and black presence in the UK. I haven't read other books on black history, but I can honestly say that Fryer's book is probably one of the best.Įnormously well researched, fluidly written, easy to understand - indeed, this book is a well of absolute brilliance. The other side of that is that this book doesn't have that much to say about women of colour, with the inevitable (but worthy) exception of Mary Seacole.Īnyway, it's a book I'm glad to have read and glad to have on my shelf for reference and as a starting-point for further reading. The book also reveals, although the author doesn't actually express this, how closely allied white supremacy and misogyny have been in British history: I was pretty astounded by how frequently and consistently the trouble seems to come down to white men attacking black men because white women chose to socialize with and sleep with the latter. But for me it's been a pretty good starting-point and strikes a balance between exposing the shameful history of white supremacy and chronicling the active lives and achievements of black people (both individual big personalities and collective movements). The book is compendious rather than profound, is by now some decades out of date, and is written by a white guy who therefore probably shows his whiteness in ways I wouldn't necessarily pick up on. Which just goes to show why people like us need to learn about these histories. 'When does it start,' she said, 'the 1950s?' More like the 150s AD. A white colleague asked me what I was reading and I said it was a history of black people in Britain.
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