Natives: Race and Class in the Ruins of Empire
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- Create Date：2021-04-29 00:52:56
- Update Date：2025-09-06
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- Author：Akala
- ISBN：1473661234
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Summary
SHORTLISTED FOR THE JAMES TAIT BLACK PRIZE | THE JHALAK PRIZE | THE BREAD AND ROSES AWARD & LONGLISTED FOR THE ORWELL PRIZE FOR POLITICAL WRITING
From the first time he was stopped and searched as a child， to the day he realised his mum was white， to his first encounters with racist teachers - race and class have shaped Akala's life and outlook。 In this unique book he takes his own experiences and widens them out to look at the social， historical and political factors that have left us where we are today。
Covering everything from the police， education and identity to politics， sexual objectification and the far right， Natives speaks directly to British denial and squeamishness when it comes to confronting issues of race and class that are at the heart of the legacy of Britain's racialised empire。
Natives is the searing modern polemic and Sunday Times bestseller from the BAFTA and MOBO award-winning musician and political commentator， Akala。
From the first time he was stopped and searched as a child， to the day he realised his mum was white， to his first encounters with racist teachers - race and class have shaped Akala's life and outlook。 In this unique book he takes his own experiences and widens them out to look at the social， historical and political factors that have left us where we are today。
Covering everything from the police， education and identity to politics， sexual objectification and the far right， Natives speaks directly to British denial and squeamishness when it comes to confronting issues of race and class that are at the heart of the legacy of Britain's racialised empire。
Natives is the searing modern polemic and Sunday Times bestseller from the BAFTA and MOBO award-winning musician and political commentator， Akala。
Reviews
Meg
，
“What is most fascinating about British intellectual discourse is that we can see brutality ever so clearly when it wears Japanese or German or Islamic clothes， but when it comes to looking in the mirror at the empire on which the sun never set - the eighteenth-century’s premier slave trader， the mother country of the Commonwealth and one of the pioneer countries in developing and then putting into practice the Enlightenment philosophy of white supremacy - so many suddenly become blind， deaf and “What is most fascinating about British intellectual discourse is that we can see brutality ever so clearly when it wears Japanese or German or Islamic clothes， but when it comes to looking in the mirror at the empire on which the sun never set - the eighteenth-century’s premier slave trader， the mother country of the Commonwealth and one of the pioneer countries in developing and then putting into practice the Enlightenment philosophy of white supremacy - so many suddenly become blind， deaf and dumb， unable to see murder as murder。”An essential read for anyone - but especially if you’re British。 。。。more
Hannah Scheel
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Excellent - an absolute must read！
Arran Douglas
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Incredibly well written and very convincing。 With so much of our news and social media focussing on racist acts in the US it can be easy， as someone who is white， to just assume it's not anywhere near as bad in Britain。 This book completely challenges this view and I'm glad it does。 Firstly， Akala would point out that it's too simplistic to compare the two countries as their race relations have been built and developed differently and secondly， that Britain absolutely still has significant issue Incredibly well written and very convincing。 With so much of our news and social media focussing on racist acts in the US it can be easy， as someone who is white， to just assume it's not anywhere near as bad in Britain。 This book completely challenges this view and I'm glad it does。 Firstly， Akala would point out that it's too simplistic to compare the two countries as their race relations have been built and developed differently and secondly， that Britain absolutely still has significant issues of institutional racism and classism。 I should clarify I am not completely ignorant of these issues but I will admit I had no idea the scale and I suppose part of me didn't want to。 But it is vital that everybody learns， understands and begins to rethink race， class， ethnicity， etc。 in our modern， diverse and multicultural society。 。。。more
Lokryn Halls
，
As a big fan of Akalas music， but not his politics， I thought I would read this anyway。 Great book， got me thinking in a very different way about a few subjects， despite not fully agreeing with everything in the book。 Would recommend。
Meggie
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Absolutely incredible！ This book looks at deep rooted issue in this world and as a teacher makes me both reflect and feel empowered！ The analysis of the Haitian Revolution and the role Cuba has played in Apartheid is most interesting Would recommend for anyone
Chris Edwards
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Essential for anyone from the UK。 Akala's own experiences， mixed with history and politics make for brilliant reading。 It's funny， maddening， tragic and captivating - and you'll come away with a far better understanding of how racism operates in Britiain in a post-empire world。 Essential for anyone from the UK。 Akala's own experiences， mixed with history and politics make for brilliant reading。 It's funny， maddening， tragic and captivating - and you'll come away with a far better understanding of how racism operates in Britiain in a post-empire world。 。。。more
Ben Walker
，
Solid and insightful read， with a convincing argument about the disconnect between Black Britain and "Britain" itself。 The paragraphs which sung the praises of Cuba came across as a little excessive and selective， but besides that， this book is a valuable stepping stone to a better understanding of both UK race relations and the ever existing hypocrisies in our nation's culture and media。 Solid and insightful read， with a convincing argument about the disconnect between Black Britain and "Britain" itself。 The paragraphs which sung the praises of Cuba came across as a little excessive and selective， but besides that， this book is a valuable stepping stone to a better understanding of both UK race relations and the ever existing hypocrisies in our nation's culture and media。 。。。more
Coral Davis
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Informative and brilliantly writtenThis book is so good。 Akala is an excellent teacher and knows how to thoroughly research the material。 It is an important and difficult subject to discuss and Akala does so in a way that makes me want to learn more。
Sylvia
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Really informative， listened to audio book in his voice， loved the blend of personal and factual material。 Packed with facts， stats and truths。
fiza
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Very enlightening
Tutankhamun18
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“Black britons emigrated into a society with an already established white underclass and were mostly dumped into areas where that underclass already lived， whereas black americans and indigenous peoples were the foundation of the US underclass。。。”The first chapter of this book is absolutely great。 From that point on the book becomes more of a memoir of the author via then lense of race and class rather than a book about race and class， it is an interesting memoir none the less。 I think it is a s “Black britons emigrated into a society with an already established white underclass and were mostly dumped into areas where that underclass already lived， whereas black americans and indigenous peoples were the foundation of the US underclass。。。”The first chapter of this book is absolutely great。 From that point on the book becomes more of a memoir of the author via then lense of race and class rather than a book about race and class， it is an interesting memoir none the less。 I think it is a shame that the author does not answer many questions which arise in the first chapter （such as why did he end up in the music industry after being in a gifted mathematics program？ what made him not go to university？ the other successful black british friends he has- did he grow up with them or meet them later in life？ How many of the peers he grew up with went on to equally successful things and how many did not and what were their different paths/opportunities？ Some of his facts are a bit randomly inserted， such as statistics about prisons in France， are listed alongside UK and US， but unlike the UK and US prison rates he does not go on to explore them or even explain why this would be a good „control country for comprison“ or indeed highlight how France‘s large cities are very criminal。My favourite chapters are chapter 1， 5 and 11。 Chapter 1: ⭐️⭐️⭐️* Rich vs Poor Racism: “We are trained to recognize the kinds of racism that are engaged in by poor people。” A pro empire historian is likely to agree that calling a premier league footballer a black cunt is a bad thing。 🤯* Poor people racism bad。 Rich people racism good。* interpersonal morality* “The kinds of racism still engaged in by the wealthy and the powerful such as the theft of entire regions wealth and resources under a thinly veiled white mans burden。。。 or a racially injust prison system are far more damaging， yet they are given less attention。。。”* “We judge the streetcorner hustler or working class hustler from east glasgow to east london but we see a job as an investment banker even in firms that launder the profits of drug cartels， fund terrorism， aid the global flow of arms， fuel war， landgrabs and generally fuck up the planet， as a generally legitimate even aspiration occupation。。。what constitutes crime is not governed by morality but laws ie those who pass the law。”Extra Section Disclaimer:* “We conflate interests of the british ruling class and their cronies in the house of lords and the arms oil and banking kabow， with the interests of the society at large。。。”Chapter 2:* “The practice of legally priviligeing all people racialised as white literally came about to， so ruling groups could buy the racial loyalty of whites，not to entirely eradicate their poverty。”* mental and emotional wealth of being white （the white working class have this）Chapter 4:* “Lets ask white people about whiteness and not let the dominant identity be invisble。” -> speak about whiteness as a race rather than just white issues/ white experience as a base line* “As long as money whitens， poverty must blacken”* salvery = war capitalism， with racism developing euroamerican prosperity* inhumane treatment of the poor was “normal” and so initially a dehumanisation of black people to be kept as slaves was not needed， but came later* white nationalism/ supremacy is an obviously anti human idea， whereas black nationalism is different， haiti revolution gave polish slaves that rebelled along where given legal black status （different historical context and aims） Chapter 5: ⭐️* Haiti salve Rebellion: defeated spain， britain and France （france planned to wipe out all blacks on inland and import new slaves from africa ewww eww eww）* Haiti gained independence and outloawed slavery first thing* Haiti was given debt by french 1885 under threat of reinvasion （91million gold francs） to pay for loss of slaves and only paid back in 1947 w help of loans from french banks* usa invaded haiti in 1915* Britain invested in slavery in Chile and Brazil and imported its exploits* scrambke for african and white mans burden are the old world for behaviours that still happen now: democracy and human rights* hypocrasy: sell war weapons and at same time engage in human rights conflict， let syrian refuges drown* african slaves: no land has such monocultures and do not allow to draw blood and such inhumanity not needed* many slave rebellions in africa* deporting people from england to australian no records of rebellion but british gov too well governed or class dynamics* africans sold their own people = black on black violence。 same version of propoganda/ fear mongering 。。。more
John
，
Was excited to read this。 Could not finish it。。The theme is very interesting but the book isn't very well written at all。Too much "i'm so smart" and repetition。 Also the chapters don't seem to have any logical reason to be chapters。 Just endless text arbitrarily divided into chapters。 Was excited to read this。 Could not finish it。。The theme is very interesting but the book isn't very well written at all。Too much "i'm so smart" and repetition。 Also the chapters don't seem to have any logical reason to be chapters。 Just endless text arbitrarily divided into chapters。 。。。more
Mel
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An exploration of the British Empire’s legacy within the UK， and the racism and imperial attitudes that have stemmed from it and are still very present today with continuing repercussions。So…I have to admit that I struggled with the writing in this book。 It is memoir and essay intertwined - I wish it had been one or the other， as this combination does not work for me - but the content does make it worth pushing through the distracting mix of tones， the expectation that the reader knows who Akala An exploration of the British Empire’s legacy within the UK， and the racism and imperial attitudes that have stemmed from it and are still very present today with continuing repercussions。So…I have to admit that I struggled with the writing in this book。 It is memoir and essay intertwined - I wish it had been one or the other， as this combination does not work for me - but the content does make it worth pushing through the distracting mix of tones， the expectation that the reader knows who Akala is， and the slightly haphazard structure。 I did really enjoy the nuanced exploration of the complexities of identity， and Akala covers a remarkable range of repercussions of Britain’s imperial history - despite some assumed knowledge of historical events， I think it works well as an introduction to the UK’s particular brand of racism。 A crucial read， particularly if you are from or live in the UK， and though I’d have preferred a different style of delivery， it is an effective starting point to considering and understanding the racial legacy of Empire。 。。。more
Marcel
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Phenomenal
Antonio
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This was my first audiobook ever and I wished I had actually read it， but hearing the stories and chapters in Akala’s voice was really powerful。My only （rather small） reservation is that some of the facts come from a point of view of the oppressed， and sometimes opinions， facts and stories blend into one narrative， making it very hard to disentangle them and retain the factual information。Nonetheless， it is a great recollection of race in the ruins of the Empire。
Lynda
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Very detailed。。。 personal， thorough。 Not an easy read。 Stop & searched at aged 12！！ Because of being black。。。。
Cat
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I often struggle with non-fiction， finding it can be stiff or unwieldy。 But this book is also a memoir of racism， providing the emotional connection and energy that helps me really engage。 Much of the content is sad， depressing and enraging but Akala's style makes it easy to absorb。Like anyone even vaguely aware of Britain's colonial roots I was unsurprised by its content， but this writing brings detail and cites expertise I'd never been exposed to before。 As any good history should， Natives has I often struggle with non-fiction， finding it can be stiff or unwieldy。 But this book is also a memoir of racism， providing the emotional connection and energy that helps me really engage。 Much of the content is sad， depressing and enraging but Akala's style makes it easy to absorb。Like anyone even vaguely aware of Britain's colonial roots I was unsurprised by its content， but this writing brings detail and cites expertise I'd never been exposed to before。 As any good history should， Natives has left me with the desire， and sources， to learn more。 。。。more
Alison Anthony
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Amazing。 Such a great book with so much important information。 Written in such a clear and concise way。 Could not recommend more。
Anna Robinson
，
An informative and engaging read about racism and classism in a British context。
Jemma
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Another good way to understand more about race in this country。 This is particularly good because it does exactly what the title says， meshing autobiography and history into a more or less complete explanation。 It gives me a bit of faith in the future that there are such astute young people。You don't have to agree with everything he says but you should hear his perspective if you've any real interest in understanding modern Britain。 Personally， I thought one or two examples of racism weren't rea Another good way to understand more about race in this country。 This is particularly good because it does exactly what the title says， meshing autobiography and history into a more or less complete explanation。 It gives me a bit of faith in the future that there are such astute young people。You don't have to agree with everything he says but you should hear his perspective if you've any real interest in understanding modern Britain。 Personally， I thought one or two examples of racism weren't really but overwhelmingly the dozens of examples are clearly valid。 I didn't always agree with his politics either but see where he's coming from and agree to differ。My only real criticism is that， like many ebooks， it needs better fact checking。 There were a few completely wrong facts， like hanging ending in 1947。 。。。more
Emily Pj
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Intensely informative and so brilliantly written。 I loved how Akala intertwined his lived experiences within the wider narrative of the issues of imperialism， race and class in the UK。 I especially enjoyed learning the history that has been so effortlessly wiped out of British curriculum but so urgently necessary to understand our position as a society today。
Dominic Carlin
，
From now on I will only read non-fiction books which have been written by rappers。I really got on well with the personal writing style and the fact it was heavily UK based made it feel much more accessible to me than the predominantly US-centric books my wife was reading last summer。
Russio
，
Yes， so I tend to agree with all of this although occasionally stats are massaged so that comparisons are not quite like for like and the presentation of some arguments can be weakened by anecdotalism。 The stop and search bias information is valid and well known but then undermined by the fact that he and many people he knew were knife carriers， for example。 Otherwise， on the button。
Artemis
，
Everybody with ties to England should read this book。
Tom Clarke
，
Absolutely essential reading on racism and classism in the UK。 The government's recent Report on Race and Ethnic Disparities （April 2021） concluded there wasn't systematic racism， and instead pushes the focus onto "family influence。。。 culture and religion"。 We have a long way to go。 Absolutely essential reading on racism and classism in the UK。 The government's recent Report on Race and Ethnic Disparities （April 2021） concluded there wasn't systematic racism， and instead pushes the focus onto "family influence。。。 culture and religion"。 We have a long way to go。 。。。more
Joanne Inglis
，
Excellent。 Will definitely be reading this again。
Daisy
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Interesting book， unique ideas about the hypocrisy of some racists ideas， but I wished it had more comments on the intersectionality of race and class and also some sentences were so long。 I had to take a break mid way because it’s quite a dense read。 Castro and Mandela chapter is the best I think。
Laura
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Essential reading。 Eye opening without preaching。
Louise Harbord
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You need to read/listen to this。 and tell all your friends to！
Katy
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