The Violence of Britishness

Reviewed by: Muhammad Abdul Bari – London, UK

Published by: London: Pluto Press, 2023,159pp. ISBN-13: 978-0745341705.

The book under review is an insightful exploration of racism and citizenship in the context of British identity. Nadya Ali’s work offers a critical analysis of the intersections between race, religion, nationalism and colonial legacy and sheds light on the complexities of British identity and the systemic exclusion and hostility experienced by marginalized communities. Positioning her analysis within a broader contextual view of the hostile environment, austerity, and the cost-of-living crisis, Ali shows how the rights of a citizen may be conditional and dependent upon who is counted as sufficiently ‘British’ by the state.

The Violence of Britishness begins from the premise that counter-terrorism and immigration policies are both projects of “racial bordering which operate in mutually reinforcing ways to keep Britain white.” In her meticulous analysis, Ali unearths the reality of these policies and examines their impact on Muslims and other racially minoritized groups. Ali dissects the Prevent strategy and shows how Muslims are expected to reform their conduct and even their faith to prove their ‘Britishness’. The penalty for not complying is being pigeon-holed as ‘extremists’, leading to further ostracization from the state.