Adam Elliott-Cooper, "Black Resistance to British Policing" (Manchester UP, 2021)

Jan 7, 2025

Adam Elliott-Cooper, a Lecturer in Public and Social Policy at Queen Mary University of London, delves into his book, exploring the activism behind movements like Black Lives Matter. He discusses how state racism challenges Britain's self-image, linking historical colonialism to contemporary policing issues. Elliott-Cooper analyzes the dynamics of youth activism in response to police violence, particularly focusing on Black women's roles in resistance. He advocates for community-led justice initiatives, emphasizing resilience against oppressive systems.

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Intro

00:00 • 2min

Exploring Youth Activism and Policing in London

02:23 • 3min

Intersections of Race, Gender, and Resistance

05:24 • 30min

Racial Categories of Crime in Britain: Historical Perspectives and Implications

35:00 • 6min

The Historical Context of Gang Labeling and Its Impact on Policing

40:43 • 5min

Reimagining Justice: Policing, Race, and Community

45:23 • 10min

As police racism unsettles Britain's tolerant self-image, Black Resistance to British Policing (Manchester UP, 2021) details the activism that made movements like Black Lives Matter possible. Adam Elliott-Cooper analyses racism beyond prejudice and the interpersonal - arguing that black resistance confronts a global system of racial classification, exploitation and violence.

Imperial cultures and policies, as well as colonial war and policing highlight connections between these histories and contemporary racisms. But this is a book about resistance, considering black liberation movements in the 20th century while utilising a decade of activist research covering spontaneous rebellion, campaigns and protest in the 21st century. Drawing connections between histories of resistance and different kinds of black struggle against policing is vital, it is argued, if we are to challenge the cutting edge of police and prison power which harnesses new and dangerous forms of surveillance, violence and criminalisation.

Black Resistance to British Policing is a must read for all those who are interested in the history of the British Empire, its enduring legacies, and anti-colonial and anti-racist resistance.

Adam Elliot-Cooper is a Lecturer (Assistant Professor) in Public and Social Policy at Queen Mary University of London. He is also co-author of Empire’s Endgame: Racism and the British State (Pluto Press, 2021). He sits on the board of The Monitoring Group, an anti-racist organisation challenging state racisms and racial violence.

Deniz Yonucu is a Lecturer (Assistant Professor) in the School of Geography, Politics, and Sociology at Newcastle University. Her work focuses on counterinsurgency, policing and security, surveillance, left-wing and anti-colonial resistance, memory, racism, and emerging digital control technologies. Her book, Police, Provocation, Politics Counterinsurgency in Istanbul (Cornell University Press, 2022), presents a counterintuitive analysis of policing, focusing particular attention on the incitement of counterviolence and perpetual conflict by state security apparatus.

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