Skip to main content

Research Repository

Advanced Search

‘Post-race’ racism in the narratives of ‘Brexit’ voters

Patel, TG; Connelly, LJ

‘Post-race’ racism in the narratives of ‘Brexit’ voters Thumbnail


Authors

LJ Connelly



Abstract

Although a growing body of scholarship seeks to understand the motivations behind the ‘Brexit’ vote – including that which centralises explorations of racism, nationalism and post-colonialism – little consideration has been given to the ways in which ‘post-race’ racisms underpin the narratives of Leave voters. This article draws on data generated through 13 semi-structured interviews to examine the subtle and subterranean ways in which xeno-racism is articulated in the accounts of some Leave voters in the Greater Manchester city of Salford: a city that saw a higher percentage of the electorate (56.8%) vote to leave the EU than the national average (51.9%). Whilst restricting immigration was a key motivator of Leave voters in our research, interviewees vehemently rejected accusations of racism. Instead, couching their views in seemingly non-racial ways, they framed their concerns about immigration as a ‘legitimate’ response to a victimised whiteness. Thus, in discussing our data, we argue that far from living in a ‘post-racial’ epoch, racisms continue to thrive through new modes of articulation. These new racisms emerge from the shadows at key times, such as the EU Referendum, and refashion themselves in ways that are considered more palatable than the older (explicit) racisms of past.

Citation

Patel, T., & Connelly, L. (2019). ‘Post-race’ racism in the narratives of ‘Brexit’ voters. Sociological Review, 67(5), 968-984. https://doi.org/10.1177/0038026119831590

Journal Article Type Article
Acceptance Date Feb 19, 2019
Online Publication Date Feb 21, 2019
Publication Date Sep 1, 2019
Deposit Date Feb 25, 2019
Publicly Available Date Feb 26, 2019
Journal The Sociological Review
Print ISSN 0038-0261
Electronic ISSN 1467-954X
Publisher SAGE Publications
Volume 67
Issue 5
Pages 968-984
DOI https://doi.org/10.1177/0038026119831590
Publisher URL https://doi.org/10.1177/0038026119831590
Related Public URLs https://www.thesociologicalreview.com/

Files






You might also like



Downloadable Citations