Across the West, racial injustice has become one of the most divisive issues of our age. Debate abounds around racism, identity, diversity, immigration and colonial history, and, in the rush to address injustice, Britain has followed the lead of the world's dominant power: America. We judge ourselves by America's standards, absorb its arguments and follow its agenda. But what if we're looking in the wrong place?
In This is Not America, Tomiwa Owolade argues that too much of the conversation around race in Britain is viewed through the prism of American ideas that don't reflect the history, challenges and achievements of increasingly diverse black populations at home. If we want to build a long-lasting and more effective anti-racist agenda - one that truly values black British communities - we must acknowledge that crucial differences exist between Britain and America; that we are talking about distinct communities and cultures, distinguished by language, history, class, religion and national origin.
Humane, empirical and passionate, this book promises to start a new conversation about race and, vitally, shed light on black British life today.
Chosen as a non-fiction highlight of 2023 in The Times, Guardian, Observer, Irish Times and New Statesman.
Book on sale June 2023
This is Not America by Tomiwa Owolade
Front page shot by Nico Froehlich