Political Racism conceptualizes a distinctive form of racism – intentional, organized hostility mobilized by political actors – and examines its role in the Brexit conflict and in the rise of a new nationalist politics in the UK. In a multi-level analysis the book argues that Powellite anti-immigrant racism, reinterpreted in numerical terms, was combined with anti-East European and anti-Muslim hostility to inform the Vote Leave victory.

This type of racism, which has a special significance in societies where racism has been delegitimized, is shown to have further shaped the form of EU withdrawal and also the government’s post-Brexit policies.

The book intervenes in the general debates on the nature of racism and the evolving relationships of the far and mainstream rights, as well as on Brexit. Its chapters discuss: 1 Conceptualising racism and political racism; 2 Political racism and immigration; 3 The Europhobic movement and its ideology; 4 Racism in the referendum; 5 Embedded racism in the Brexit conflict; 6 Johnson’s victory and the nationalist Tory regime.

Martin Shaw is a historical sociologist who has written widely on global politics, war and genocide, held posts in sociology and International Relations in several British universities, and published a large number of sole-authored and edited books as well as journal articles. Recently he has been working on racism, Brexit and British politics.