Abstract
The task of developing a radical critique of the moralistic excesses practised in the name of anti-racism is an urgent task today. The absurdities of anti-racist orthodoxy have become a target of critique by the right (Honeyford, 1988; Lewis, 1988), and have formed a back-drop to the bitter debates that have surrounded the publication of The Satanic Verses.1 The dictatorial character of anti-racism, particularly in local government, has itself become an important theme within the discourse of popular racism.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Preview
Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.
Similar content being viewed by others
Notes and References
An earlier version of this paper was given as the Runnymede Lecture in July 1987.
Fay Weldon, the muddle-headed spokeswoman for ‘leftish humanist feminism’ has not only announced that ‘our attempt at multi-culturalism has failed’ but has assumed a posture of absolute cultural superiority. See Sacred Cows (Chatto, 1989).
Robert Miles Racism (Routledge, 1989) is indicative of these difficulties. His undoubted intellectual rigour leads to a definition of racism exclusively in terms of ideology. The links between this and what he calls ‘exclusionary practice’ remain obscure. There is little comparable rigour in Miles’s account of the problems which cluster around the Marxian notion of ideology which makes his definition plausible and attractive.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Copyright information
© 1990 Paul Gilroy
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Gilroy, P. (1990). The End of Anti-Racism. In: Ball, W., Solomos, J. (eds) Race and Local Politics. Government Beyond the Centre. Palgrave Macmillan, London. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-349-21028-2_11
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-349-21028-2_11
Publisher Name: Palgrave Macmillan, London
Print ISBN: 978-0-333-51948-6
Online ISBN: 978-1-349-21028-2
eBook Packages: Palgrave Social & Cultural Studies CollectionSocial Sciences (R0)