Whiteness and the Visual Appropriation of Race in 1980s Britain

by Stephanie Polsky

Overview

This volume delves into the complex topic of race relations in 1980s Britain by examining the concept of ‘whiteness’ and how it was portrayed visually in popular art and mass media.

Chapters explore pivotal moments in which the appropriation of race occurred during this critical decade as they relate to the nation’s evolving postcolonial identity. This book analyses pivotal cultural moments in print media, fashion, film, television, music video, art, and live events that exemplify how race, gender, and sexuality became operative in the way Britain imagined itself in this crucial decade. It contends that the lens of its former colonial empire played a significant role in shaping Britain’s self-image throughout the 1980s despite its appearance as a postcolonial and multicultural nation.

The book will be of interest to scholars working in art history, visual culture, media studies, cultural studies, and critical race theory.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781032897165
Publisher:	Taylor & Francis
Publication date:	10/15/2025
Series:	Routledge Research in Art and Race
Pages:	202
Product dimensions:	6.88(w) x 9.69(h) x (d)

About the Author

Stephanie Polsky is a Visiting Assistant Professor of Social Sciences and Cultural Studies at Pratt Institute.

Table of Contents

List of Figures 

Preface: The Jouney from Visual Appropriation towards Racialised Whiteness in 1980s Britain

1. Introduction: The Way We Weren't: Whiteness and the Representational Extension of Colonial Legacies 

1. Withstand and Deliver: Colonial Nostalgia in the Manufacture of New Romantics  

1. Born in London: The Face Magazine and the Birth of Racial Consciousness in British Youth Culture  

1. We Are the World: Britannia Rules Live Aid 

1. Of Thin White Dukes and Little China Girls: The Orientalism of the British New Wave 

1. White Mischief: Colonial Melancholia in Art 

1.  Conclusion: The Way Forward Is Often the Way Back (Brexit Edition)