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Not So Black and White: A History of Race from White Supremacy to Identity Politics Hardcover – 5 Jan. 2023

by Kenan Malik (Author)
4.3 out of 5 stars 73 ratings
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A powerful new history of the idea of race, forcing us to rethink today’s culture wars.

Is white privilege real? How racist is the working class? Why has left-wing antisemitism grown? Who benefits most when anti-racists speak in racial terms?

The ‘culture wars’ have generated ferocious argument, but little clarity. This book takes the long view, explaining the real origins of ‘race’ in Western thought, and tracing its path from those beginnings in the Enlightenment all the way to our own fractious world. In doing so, leading thinker Kenan Malik upends many assumptions underpinning today’s heated debates around race, culture, whiteness and privilege.

Malik interweaves this history of ideas with a parallel narrative: the story of the modern West’s long, failed struggle to escape ideas of race, leaving us with a world riven by identity politics. Through these accounts, he challenges received wisdom, revealing the forgotten history of a racialised working class, and questioning fashionable concepts like cultural appropriation.

Not So Black and White is both a lucid history rewriting the story of race, and an elegant polemic making an anti-racist case against the politics of identity.

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  1. ISBN-10
    1787387763
  2. ISBN-13
    978-1787387768
  3. Publisher
    C Hurst & Co Publishers Ltd
  4. Publication date
    5 Jan. 2023
  5. Language
    English
  6. Dimensions
    16.69 x 3.71 x 24.05 cm
  7. Print length
    328 pages
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Product description

Review

Selected as one of the 'Books to Read in 2023' in the 'Financial Times' and 'The Irish Times'

Selected as one of the 'Best Books of 2023 So Far' in the 'New Statesman'

A 'Counterfire Book' of the Year 2022

'The esteemed theorist on multiculturalism and race offers a longer- run perspective on contemporary race debates in an antidote to the muddiness of the "culture wars".' ― Financial Times

‘A stalwart of the universalist left, [Malik] espouses a working-class solidarity not “fractured” by race and holds fast to the ideology he embraced in his street-fighting years. He expresses these views eloquently―and with a lightly worn erudition―in Not So Black and White.’ -- The Wall Street Journal

'Malik makes a strong case for reviving an intellectual movement that concentrates on the hard work of reducing inequality rather than indulging in the gesture politics of the new generation of radicals.' ― The Times

'Provides clarity on the origins of popular beliefs and assumptions about contemporary identity politics … Not So Black and White [is] a comprehensive and persuasive guide to thinking of ways in which we can politically organise for better living conditions for the working class on the basis of shared values of liberty, equality and justice, and fight against the oppressive capitalist force of the elite, instead of fighting against each other.'

-- The Irish Times

'Excellent.' -- New Statesman

'A consistent and compelling … masterful history.' -- UnHerd

‘This book opens with a stunning sentence… Taking the long view, author Kenan Malik argues the origins of identity politics lie not in the left but the sometimes reactionary right.’ -- The Australian

‘[Not So Black and White] is both a history of modern racism from the invention of race in the eighteenth century to the present day, and a powerful argument for universalism and solidarity.’

-- Counterfire

'A rich account of the history of race ... there is much to recommend in this book as a history of ideas with ongoing relevance for contemporary struggles for equalities and social justice.' -- Morning Star

'[Malik's] critique of right and left identarianism is convincing and useful for the academic... and non-academic activist alike, looking to make sense of contemporary race politics and locate it within a larger, complex history of inequality.' -- Ethnic and Racial Studies Review

'Kenan Malik's fascinating new history of race and racism... provide[s] a valuable intervention in an argument that is often both fraught and infested with thought-terminating clichés and sloganeering.' -- Areo

'A thorough and nuanced book.' -- The Equiano Project

‘An informative and revealing history of ideas.’ -- International Socialism

'Provides an illuminating history of the idea of race, and systematically outlines the key concepts necessary to understand the development of racial thinking.' -- Spiked

'[An] original and ambitious rethinking of the history of the politics of race, from slavery to Black Lives Matter.' -- ArtReview

'Malik impels us to invert the causal arrows between race and the differential treatment of people from different ethnicities. It's not the latter that flows from the former but the inverse.' -- Law & Liberty

‘Excellent.’ -- Stephen Bush, Financial Times

‘A superb book, written in unflappable prose, that should be read by everyone who imagines themselves as being on the left.’ -- Sunjeev Sahota, The Guardian

‘Interrogates race and its relationship to class struggle today, tracing the rise of identity politics alongside the decline of the labour movement and universalism.’ -- Tribune Magazine

'A tour-de-force of intellectual history as well as a political polemic and a plea to the left. Malik takes many of his leftist 'confreres' to task for misunderstanding the causes and function of racism and thereby, unwittingly and unintentionally, contributing to the maintenance of an unjust and unequal status quo.' -- The Liberal Patriot

‘[Malik’s] book has important implications for contemporary race politics, particularly for understanding the current debates over critical race theory and the 1619 and 1776 projects.’ -- Catalyst

'Malik puts forward a radical challenge to the identity politics that dominates the left and asks how such a defeatist and dangerous worldview arose … a genuinely exciting and stimulating work, one that hums with rage at the injustice of our modern society.' -- Marxist Left Review

'A precious provocation. Combining valuable historical observations with acute political commentary, Malik unsettles the absurdities, pieties and default settings of contemporary race-talk.' -- Paul Gilroy, author of 'The Black Atlantic'

‘Malik’s most striking point is that the very idea of “whiteness” is a product of the Enlightenment.’ -- Martin Sandbu, Financial Times

'A stunning journey through the ideas that have shaped our thinking about race over the years; a magical accomplishment that is at once nuanced and gripping.' -- Remi Adekoya, author of 'Biracial Britain'

'From one of our keenest and clearest guides through the labyrinths of identity, this book fills me with hope. A tour de force of courageous and empathetic common sense.' -- Thomas Chatterton Williams, author of 'Self-Portrait in Black and White'

'A brilliant book on one of the most important issues of our time. Malik writes with great clarity and a profound sense of purpose. If you want to read just one book on modern racism, this is the one.' -- Vivek Chibber, author of 'Postcolonial Theory and the Specter of Capital', and Professor of Sociology, New York University

'This erudite, sensitive book overturns the core assumptions of contemporary identity politics. Highly recommended for all looking beyond the narrow confines of purity politics to embrace the complexities of what it is to be human, and construct a better world.' -- Olufemi Taiwo, author of 'Against Decolonisation'

'Smart, pacy and sharply argued, this is the book you need to read about contemporary politics. Malik delves into the origins of twenty-first-century identity politics, exposes its inherent individualism, and offers thought-provoking progressive alternatives.' -- Selina Todd, author of 'The People: The Rise and Fall of the Working Class' and 'Snakes and Ladders'

'Malik attempts nothing less than to explain why we inhabit racial identity as we do today, and at what political cost. Most serious readers will quarrel with something in his argument, but political culture as a whole will be enriched by this deeply thoughtful, learned and brave work.' -- Wendy Brown, author of 'Nihilistic Times' and 'Regulating Aversion: Tolerance in the Age of Identity and Empire'

About the Author

Kenan Malik is a writer, lecturer, broadcaster and Observer columnist. A former Moral Maze panellist, he has presented BBC Radio 3's Nightwavesand Radio 4's Analysis. His previous books include 'The Quest for a Moral Compass', and 'From Fatwa to Jihad', which was shortlisted for the Orwell Prize.

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ C Hurst & Co Publishers Ltd
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ 5 Jan. 2023
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 328 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1787387763
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1787387768
  • Item weight ‏ : ‎ 748 g
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 16.69 x 3.71 x 24.05 cm
  • Best Sellers Rank: 490,341 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • Customer reviews:
    4.3 out of 5 stars 73 ratings

About the author

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Kenan Malik

Kenan Malik

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Kenan Malik is a London-based writer, lecturer and broadcaster and a columnist for the Observer.

Customer reviews

4.3 out of 5 stars
73 global ratings

Customers say

Customers find the book excellent and thought-provoking, with one customer noting how good history helps readers understand the subject.

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ReadabilityThought provoking
6 customers mention ‘Readability’5 positive1 negative

Customers find the book excellent and brilliant, with one mentioning it is suitable for university students to read.

"This is an excellent book which whilst looking at a complex and challenging subject is written in a fluid style which like good history helps the..." Read more

"...Nonetheless this is a thought provoking, stimulating, read which cuts through some of the rhetoric around racism and racial identity in current..." Read more

"Very good, very clear." Read more

"...A must read." Read more

4 customers mention ‘Thought provoking’4 positive0 negative

Customers find the book thought-provoking, with one customer describing it as a wide-ranging critical study that helps readers understand the subject matter.

"...subject is written in a fluid style which like good history helps the reader to understand a subject and it’s development over time without the..." Read more

"...Nonetheless this is a thought provoking, stimulating, read which cuts through some of the rhetoric around racism and racial identity in current..." Read more

"This book is perfect great analysis" Read more

"...The author offers a wide-ranging critical study of the history of ideas about race and identity, and delivers what seem to me some really important..." Read more

Top reviews from United Kingdom

  • Jonathan Hannay
    5.0 out of 5 stars A book for university students to read
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 6 May 2024
    Format: Kindle EditionVerified purchase
    This is an excellent book which whilst looking at a complex and challenging subject is written in a fluid style which like good history helps the reader to understand a subject and it’s development over time without the author bringing their own views and positions. This is quite an achievement when considering the current polemic and polarized nature os much of the subject matter. Through reading Kenan Malik’s book I have gained a much better understanding of where and how I got to be with regard to this subject.
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  • markb
    4.0 out of 5 stars We all share a common humanity
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 26 September 2023
    Format: Kindle EditionVerified purchase
    In this book Malik charts the development of concepts of race and ethnicity from the eighteenth century to the present day - from the Enlightenment to "Black Lives Matter". He argues that categorising people according to a distinct racial hierarchy only occurred following a general philosophical acceptance that all human beings are equal. Ideas were then developed which regarded "race" as a natural permanent aspect of human nature. For the last three centuries arguments based on race have since been used as a way of excusing inequality and cruel injustice. For example, powerful elites have appealed to racial divisions to create conflict between working class groups, particularly in the USA where some trade unions deliberately excluded black members.

    Chapter by chapter, Malik demonstrates how racial categories have been used to justify very real social inequalities. Racist arguments were used as a means to fracture any class solidarity based on a mutual recognition that all peoples everywhere share a common humanity.

    According to Malik, over the last thirty years class based politics has gone into decline. This has meant that the politics of race is now less about seeking common cause across racial boundaries and more about defending distinctive racialised identities. For Malik, this "identitarian" trend represents a political and philosophical dead end. A racialised understanding of human nature leads to a rejection of universal ideals such as belief in individual human rights, rational argument and scientific method.

    His book concludes by looking towards a more hopeful future where political development is based on uniting across cultural and ethnic barriers. What should matter is what people believe - where they are going not where they have come from.

    A possible weakness of this book is that at times Malik tends to rely on American sources, perhaps diluting his argument for British readers. Nonetheless this is a thought provoking, stimulating, read which cuts through some of the rhetoric around racism and racial identity in current political and cultural debates.
    4 people found this helpful
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  • PS
    5.0 out of 5 stars Very good
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 30 June 2025
    Format: PaperbackVerified purchase
    Very good, very clear.
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  • sara n.
    5.0 out of 5 stars revealing and systematic
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 4 February 2023
    Format: HardcoverVerified purchase
    Malik trace the history of the idea of humanity from the enlightenment to the present day comparing and contrasting their intellectual, economic and social interactions, consequences and idiosyncrasies.
    Despite the vast body of references the reading keeps a flowing narrative without sacrificing rigour or comprehensiveness.
    A must read.
    2 people found this helpful
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  • Mikidoli
    3.0 out of 5 stars Conflates cultural protectionism with racism
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 10 January 2023
    Format: Hardcover
    Malik's arguments here follow the same patterns as his articles for the Observer: he blurs the boundaries between mainstream thought and the extremism of minorities or individuals, and between history and present consciousness. This technique is useful for trying to create an impression of modern pervasive racism from scant evidence. The term "Generation Identity" is probably unknown to most people: that's because it derives from the 1960s, as does Enoch Powell, whom he namedrops. If you are British and you don't like the way the culture and ethnic makeup is changing since you grew up, for example in schools offering Asian food or employees of a company being expected to celebrate Diwali, Malik simplistically assumes you are racist. He cannot abide the notion that loving, traditional and patriotic people might want Britain to be like this and, say, India to be like that... instead of much the same apart from weather. Lionel Shriver gets picked on. She had called skin colour an artificial barrier. Nothing really racist about that but Malik puts words into her mouth: <<the "artificial barriers between us" need to be recognised as insurmountable impediments to assimilation, the "confinements" of ethnic boxes maintained and people seen not as "individuals" but as "black or white". >> Malik is happy to slot in terms like "white British" and "white decline" at every turn when describing cultural protectionists because in his mind it is about skin colour and therefore they are racist.
    12 people found this helpful
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  • Amazon Customer
    5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent book brilliant writer
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 25 May 2023
    Format: HardcoverVerified purchase
    This book is perfect great analysis
    One person found this helpful
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  • noodle98
    1.0 out of 5 stars Tedious text - predictable, repetitive, adds nothing
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 13 August 2024
    Format: Audible Audiobooks
    A sixth-form student could create prose with deeper insight than this. It is boring, predictable and offers nothing to the subjects. The author lacks the ability to standardise on the meanings of terminology through the text - thus rendering the arguments he attempts to reach fatally flawed.
    GCSE students are taught not to start with conclusions you want to be true and then to search only for evidence to support those - yet this is exactly what the author does. The author's own racial prejudices aren't below the surface in this text - they are the main narrative.
    Overall this adds nothing new and is simply racial profiling in the worst possible way.
    One person found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

  • Corwin Haught
    5.0 out of 5 stars Good
    Reviewed in the United States on 8 May 2024
    Verified purchase
    good
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