Anti-racism: totem and taboo – a review article

Anti-anti-racism is seeing a renascence in the UK. Against a backdrop of punishing austerity measures, the ascent of the neoliberal project and the undermining of multiculturalism, this resurgent critique decries anti-racism as set against white communities, argues that it exists primarily to serve a liberal elite, and that it feeds into a multicultural dogma undermining western culture. Those developing this critique argue that fear of the charge of racism prevents discussion and rational policy measures to manage immigration, ‘race’ and identity. This review article examines three key books embodying aspects of these claims, as well as showing how a liberal ceding of ground to the Right on the intersections of race and class ultimately bolsters its arguments