The Violence of Britishness: Racism, Borders and the Conditions of Citizenship

‘Nadya Ali’s book shows how the very idea of Britishness brings with it a racial hierarchy of belonging…A devastating account of how British life is shaped by colonialisms, old and new’-- Arun Kundnani, author of The Muslims are Coming!

‘Ground-breaking ... details how counterterrorism and immigration policy intersect to pressure Muslims and communities of color to change their behavior or risk being labeled “extremists." The book provides tools to challenge and resist state violence in multiple ways. A must read’-- Rizwaan Sabir, author of The Suspect

‘A blistering account of British nationalism’s pained but violent psyche’-- Sivamohan Valluvan, author of The Clamour of Nationalism

Citizenship entitlements grow increasingly precarious in post-Brexit Britain, wracked by multiple crises.

In The Violence of Britishness, Nadya Ali examines the impact of counterterrorism and immigration policy on Muslims and other racially minoritized groups. Dissecting the Prevent strategy, she shows how Muslims have been compelled to reform their conduct to prove their ‘Britishness' or risk being labeled ‘extremist’ and made vulnerable to state violence.

Situating her analysis within broader contexts such as the hostile environment, austerity, and the cost-of-living crisis, Ali shows that your rights as a citizen are conditional and dependent upon who the state counts as sufficiently ‘British.'

Dr Nadya Ali is a writer and researcher currently working in policy and advocacy in the charity sector. Before this, she worked for over 10 years in Higher Education, researching, publishing, and teaching on the issues of security, borders and race, and racism.

Dr Nadya Ali is a writer and researcher currently working in policy and advocacy in the charity sector. Prior to this she worked for over 10 years in Higher Education researching, publishing and teaching on the issues of security, borders and race and racism.