Fifty years ago Enoch Powell made national headlines with his 'Rivers of Blood' speech, warning of an immigrant invasion in the once respectable streets of Wolverhampton. This local fixation brought the Black Country town into the national spotlight, yet Powell's unstable relationship with Wolverhampton has since been overlooked. Drawing from interviews and archival material, this book offers a rich local history through which to investigate the speech, bringing to life the racialised dynamics of space during a critical moment in British history. What was going on beneath the surface in Wolverhampton and how did Powell's constituents respond to this dramatic moment? The research traces the ways in which Powell's words reinvented the town and uncovers highly contested local responses. While Powell left Wolverhampton in 1974, the book returns to the city to explore the collective memories of the speech which continue to reverberate. In a contemporary period of new crisis and national divisions, revisiting the shadow of Powell allows us to reflect on racism and resistance from 1968 to today.
| ISBN: | 9781526127372 |
| Publication date: | 19th November 2018 |
| Author: | Shirin Hirsch |
| Publisher: | Manchester University Press |
| Format: | Hardback |
| Pagination: | 136 pages |
| Series: | Racism, Resistance and Social Change |
| Genres: |
Social discrimination and social justice Far-right political ideologies and movements Social and cultural history Development and environmental geography Sociology |
Fifty years ago Enoch Powell made national headlines with his 'Rivers of Blood' speech, warning of an immigrant invasion in the once respectable streets of Wolverhampton. This local fixation brought the Black Country town into the national spotlight, yet Powell's unstable relationship with Wolverhampton has since been overlooked. Drawing from interviews and archival material, this book offers a rich local history through which to investigate the speech, bringing to life the racialised dynamics of space during a critical moment in British history. What was going on beneath the surface in Wolverhampton and how did Powell's constituents respond to this dramatic moment? The research traces the ways in which Powell's words reinvented the town and uncovers highly contested local responses. While Powell left Wolverhampton in 1974, the book returns to the city to explore the collective memories of the speech which continue to reverberate. In a contemporary period of new crisis and national divisions, revisiting the shadow of Powell allows us to reflect on racism and resistance from 1968 to today.
In the Shadow of Powell features in the following genres: Social discrimination and social justice, Far-right political ideologies and movements, Social and cultural history, Development and environmental geography, Sociology
In the Shadow of Powell is available in Hardback, Paperback
In the Shadow of Powell was written by Shirin Hirsch and published by Manchester University Press
In the Shadow of Powell has 136 pages
Yes it is part of Racism, Resistance and Social Change series
£49.50