A classic history of the role of Black working-class struggles throughout the twentieth centuryThis is the first comprehensive historical perspective on the relationship between Black workers and the changing patterns of Britain’s labour needs. It places in an historical context the development of a small black presence in sixteenth-century Britain into the disadvantaged black working class of the 1980s.The book deals with the colonial labour institutions (slavery, indentureship and trade unionism) and the ideology underlying them and also considers the previously neglected role of the nineteenth-century Black radicals in British working-class struggles.Finally, the book examines the emergence of a Black radical ideology that has underpinned the twentieth-century struggles against unemployment, racial attacks and workplace grievances, among them employer and trade union racism.

The making of the Black working class in Britain

Politics & Social Sciences

Ramdin, Ron

Social Sciences

Gower

Product Description A classic history of the role of Black working-class struggles throughout the twentieth centuryThis is the first comprehensive historical perspective on the relationship between Black workers and the changing patterns of Britain’s labour needs. It places in an historical context the development of a small black presence in sixteenth-century Britain into the disadvantaged black working class of the 1980s.The book deals with the colonial labour institutions (slavery, indentureship and trade unionism) and the ideology underlying them and also considers the previously neglected role of the nineteenth-century Black radicals in British working-class struggles.Finally, the book examines the emergence of a Black radical ideology that has underpinned the twentieth-century struggles against unemployment, racial attacks and workplace grievances, among them employer and trade union racism. Review "Well written and presented with admirable clarity... scrupulously documented and written with dynamic flair... with almost every turn of the page the book breaks new ground." - Caryl Phillips, City Limits "This is a pioneering and valuable work of scholarship and interpretation." - New Society "A major work of research that is certain to be thumbed through by scholars in the future." - West Indian News "An important and timely contribution to British historiography." - Caribbean Times "Ramdin's contribution is unique." - Times Higher Education Supplement About the Author Ron Ramdin is a historian, biographer and novelist. His previous books include Paul Robeson: The Man and His Mission, The Other Middle Passage and From Chattel-slave to Wage-earner: History of Trade Unionism in Trinidad and Tobago.

The Making of the Black Working Class in Britain

Wildwood House

The first comprehensive biography of one of the best-loved singers of the last 100 years. In Ron Ramdin’s absorbing work, Robeson springs to life again as a man of charisma and stature, and as an indomitable spirit in his battle against The House Un-American Activities Committee.

Paul Robeson: The Man and His Mission

Humor & Entertainment

Dufour Editions

A full understanding of Black and Asian history within the British contextis integral to achieving a truly multicultural Britain. In this landmark book, Ron Ramdin offers the first complete history of both the Black and Asian experience in Britain. Blacks and Asians have a long history in the British Isles. Ramdin illustrates this by covering a five hundred year period, from 1500 to the present day. He recounts the major historical episodes and covers all the major figures, including Ottobah Cugoano, William Cuffay, Henry Sylvester Williams, George Padmore, Mary Seacole, C.L.R. James, V.S. Naipaul, Sam Selvon, Walter Tull, Shirley Bassey, Bill Morris, Salman Rushdie, Hanif Kureshi, Diane Abbott and Bernie Grant. In bringing the largely hidden histories of these two immigrant communities to the forefront, Ron Ramdin's wide-ranging study challenges conventional histories of the British Isles. Reimaging Britain will lead to a reappraisal of how we write 'British' history in the future.

Reimaging Britain: 500 Years of Black and Asian History

History

Africa

Pluto Press

Arising from Bondage is an epic story of the struggle of the Indo-Caribbean people. From the 1830's through World War I hundreds of thousands of indentured laborers were shipped from India to the Caribbean and settled in the former British, Dutch, French and Spanish colonies. Like their predecessors, the African slaves, they labored on the sugar estates. Unlike the Africans their status was ambiguous--not actually enslaved yet not entirely free--they fought mightily to achieve power in their new home. Today in the English-speaking Caribbean alone there are one million people of Indian descent and they form the majority in Guyana and Trinidad and Tobago. This study, based on official documents and archives, as well as previously unpublished material from British, Indian and Caribbean sources, fills a major gap in the history of the Caribbean, India, Britain and European colonialism. It also contributes powerfully to the history of diaspora and migration.

Arising From Bondage: A History of the Indo-Caribbean People

Americas

NYU Press

Turning Pages: The Extraordinary Autobiography of Ron Ramdin

Compass

“Things standing thus unknown…\ndraw thy breath in pain\nTo tell my story.”\nHamlet\nOr Not To Be is an extraordinary novel. It is a literary-historical detective story unlike any other in English literature. Set during the reigns of Queen EIizabeth I and King James I, England looks outward to overseas expansion, while at home the struggle for power sees the presence of a large number of spies and informers who lurk in the shadows. Amidst religious and political intrigue, the Queen, a lover of literature and languages, promotes story-telling and theatrical performance. Writers are highly valued. But putting pen to paper is not a free for all. For a few who write poetry and plays, it is a dangerous vocation. Authorship and publication were not straightforward matters. Nonetheless, out of this period in English history, comes a standard of writing hitherto unknown. In this literary tapestry; an interweaving of verse, poetry, drama and prose, Ron Ramdin uses Artful Reason to unravel a centuries-old “mystery.” He tells the hidden story, not of a myth, but of a Man: England’s greatest Dramatist and Poet, William Shakespeare. Above all, Or Not To Be, is a compelling novel novel; a story of truth, humanity and hope. It is a story to pass on…\nRON RAMDIN is an internationally known author of sixteen books, spanning six genres, including three novels and a play featuring Sam Wanamaker and Paul Robeson as Shakespearian actors in Othello. Elected as a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts and a Fellow of the Royal Historical Society, he is the recipient of the University of London’s prestigious higher doctorate – the Doctor of Literature. He lives in London. 
RON RAMDIN studied at the University of Middlesex and at the London School of Economics and Political Science where he gained a BSc degree in Economics. He has presented academic Papers at various Conferences, including Opening Papers at the University of London and at the University of Warwick. He has given many radio and television interviews, and for each of thirty consecutive years, he had given high-profile talks and lectures in schools, libraries, universities and public venues across Britain, in Spain, France and in the Caribbean. His election as the first black Shop Steward at the British Museum and, as the first elected Secretary of the Whitley Council when the British Library was formed, were historic and much talked about. Thereafter, having written the first Official ‘Minutes’ of The British Library his extraordinary, relentless dedication to the struggle for Equal Opportunities and Social Justice, had made him a legendary figure in the British Museum and the British Library, as well as nationally and internationally. Among his famous books are The Making of the Black Working Class in Britain (a reprinted Classic of British history); highly-praised biographies of Mary Seacole, Paul Robeson and Martin Luther King Jr, as well as the pioneering Reimaging Britain; Arising From Bondage and The Other Middle Passage, among others. He also wrote Isabella’s Legacy: My Discovery of Spain – an original book of travel, memoir, history, cultures and identities. His autobiography Turning Pages is among the most outstanding autobiographies encompassing the twentieth and twenty-first centuries. And underscoring his corpus, is the philosophical work On Respect for Difference: An Original Essay; a profound meditation on human societies. Significantly, Ron Ramdin’s books have informed and educated a generation of students and general readers; and overall his multifaceted writings have created a new path in British and world literature.\nAnd as a long-standing leading voice for Diversity and Social Justice in Britain and elsewhere in the world, he was recently Honoured by the Windrush Foundation in Great Britain. He is currently working on his fourth novel.

OR NOT TO BE: The True Story of William Shakespeare

Literature & Fiction

Literary

Neilson Agency

A classic history of the role of Black working-class struggles throughout the twentieth centuryIn this pioneering history, Ron Ramdin traces the roots of Britain’s disadvantaged black working class. From the development of a small black presence in the sixteenth century, through the colonial labour institutions of slavery, indentureship, and trade unionism, Ramdin expertly guides us through the stages of creation for a UK minority whose origins are often overlooked. He examines the emergence of a black radical ideology underpinning twentieth-century struggles against unemployment, racial attacks and workplace inequality, and delves into the murky realms of employer and trade union racism. First published in 1987, this revised edition includes a new introduction reflecting on events over the past four decades.

Verso

Arising from Bondage

I.B.Tauris & Co Ltd

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