British Culture After Empire: Race, Decolonisation and Migration Since 1945: 197

This book follows the afterlives of empire from 1945 to present day, providing an interdisciplinary analysis of how the legacy of empire continues to shape the cultures, politics, spaces and memories of contemporary Britain. The essays it contains illustrate this with reference to a series of local histories, individual texts and institutions. Following the UK’s 2016 decision to leave the European Union, discussions surrounding the entangled histories of empire, colonialism, racial justice and decolonisation have become topics of national interest and fierce public debate in Britain. This book brings into view the historical and cultural background to these contemporary debates by exploring the local histories, texts and institutions of empire which have shaped Britain since 1945. In doing so, the diversity of Britain’s ‘postcolonial’ history and society is emphasised and the depth and breadth of the Empire’s legacies are revealed.Bringing together intersecting inquiries in history, literary studies, cultural studies, anthropology and more, this collection explores how the cultural legacies of empire shaped everyday British life, from the postwar era to the present day. Featuring chapters on gig venues, beauty salons, bestselling memoirs and more, this journey across post-imperial Britain investigates how the colonial past is firmly embedded in local and national cultures alike. To do so, the book uses a wide range of methodologies, from close textual analysis of literary and historical sources, to archival research and spatial analysis. When viewed in concert with one another, these offer a view of Britain after the end of the Empire which connects the steps of the British Museum to community-based theatre spaces in West Yorkshire. British culture after Empire is the first collection of its kind to explore the intertwined social, cultural and political aftermath of empire in Britain from 1945 up to and beyond the Brexit referendum of 2016, combining approaches from the fields of history, English and cultural studies. Against those who would deny, downplay or attempt to forget Britain’s imperial legacy, the various contributions expose and explore how the British Empire and the consequences of its end continue to shape Britain at the local, national and international level. As an important and urgent intervention in a field of increasing relevance within and beyond the academy, the book offers fresh perspectives on the colonial hangovers in post-colonial Britain from up-and-coming as well as established scholars.