Brexitland: Identity, Diversity and the Reshaping of British Politics

CCIS/CSIM Webinar January 21, 2022
Authors: Maria Sobolewska and Robert Ford
Discussant: Michael Thies
Long-term social and demographic changes – and the conflicts they create – continue to transform British politics. In their new book Sobolewska and Ford show how deep the roots of this polarisation and volatility run, drawing out decades of educational expansion and rising ethnic diversity as key drivers in the emergence of new divides within the British electorate over immigration, identity and diversity. They argue that choices made by political parties from the 1960s onwards have mobilised these divisions into politics, first through conflicts over immigration, then through conflicts over the European Union, culminating in the 2016 EU Referendum. Providing a comprehensive and far-reaching view of a country in turmoil, Brexitland explains how and why this happened, for students, researchers and anyone who wants to better understand the remarkable political times in which we live.