Hi everyone!
I’m looking for books that help to build an understanding of how/why British people and society are… the way that they are. I’m not necessarily looking for anything huge and overarching that tries to tackle the whole of British society and cultural relations, but instead little pockets of British history and sociology that might, when read alongside other books, help to build up a tapestry.
I’m particularly interested in critical race theory, class consciousness, and feminism/gender studies.
So some examples of stuff I would be interested in (though this is definitely not exhaustive) would be books about colonial history and its legacy, books about how social ideology is reinforced in our everyday lives (UK-specific), books about relations between mainland Britain/Northern Ireland/Ireland in the past and present, the north/south divide, as well as more abstract theoretical works about racism, sexism and classism as long as the book itself specifically relates to Britain.
I’ve been struggling to find the sort of things that I’m looking for because I’m not interested in anything too beginner. I’ve got a BA & MA in History so I’ve covered gender, race and class as concepts very often at HE level. Therefore, I’m looking for writing on the topic that’s a little bit more advanced (though not necessarily academic writing) or something more niche that I might not have come across before. Essentially, it doesn’t need to be too accessible or jargon-free because I’m alright at grappling with more complex work on the topic.
For example, something Like *Why I’m No Longer Talking to White People about Race* by Reni Eddo-Lodge is what I’m looking for concept-wise, but is aimed at an audience who is less familiar with CRT and is written to be more introductory. (Excellent book by the way, would strongly recommend to everyone ESP. if you’re white British).
Next up on my TBR is *The Whole Picture: The colonial story of the art in our museums… and why we need to talk about it* by Alice Procter, which I’m hoping will be the right kind of thing that I’m looking for since art history is a little bit more niche and not something I’ve covered much.
I don’t think I’ve explained what I’m looking for very well, so if there’s anything you think of that’s even close I’d love to hear your suggestions! Most of the examples I’ve focused on have been about race and colonial history since that’s what I’ve read the most about, but I’m equally as interested in gender and class (and things that don’t quite fit any of those labels)! So really just any nonfiction writing about Britain that gives you some food for thought about our society, political system or government would be ideal.
TIA!
by thursdaynightnov