Abstract
In many advanced industrial societies one aspect of contemporary race and ethnic relations has attracted an inordinate amount of attention in recent years, namely, the racialisation of political life that is evident in both national and local political environments. This in itself is not a surprising trend. It could be argued after all that the interface between political and social relations is perhaps the key area we have to address if we are to understand the underlying reasons for the resurgence of political racism and the possibilities of social and political mobilisations against racism. But what is surprising is the extent to which political institutions, including political parties and representative institutions, have recently become preoccupied with questions about race and immigration in quite diverse national political situations. In this chapter, therefore, we want to focus our attention on two key questions: first, why has political life become inextricably racialised of late? Second, what is the likely impact of this process on the morphology of race and racism in advanced industrial societies in the future?
Preview
Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.
Copyright information
© 1996 John Solomos and Les Back
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Solomos, J., Back, L. (1996). Racism, Class and Political Action. In: Racism and Society. Sociology for a Changing World. Palgrave, London. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-349-24735-6_4
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-349-24735-6_4
Publisher Name: Palgrave, London
Print ISBN: 978-0-333-58439-2
Online ISBN: 978-1-349-24735-6
eBook Packages: Palgrave Social & Cultural Studies CollectionSocial Sciences (R0)