ABSTRACT
During the early stages of this book’s production, a debate developed in the media regarding the signifi cance of race in contemporary British society. It followed the comments of the then Labour government’s Communities Secretary, John Denham, in January 2010 that ‘focusing on somebody’s race or ethnic background to explain their achievements or opportunities is far too simple’ (cited in Travis 2010). Detailing the social changes that Britain had undergone during his party’s tenure, he spoke instead of the salience of individuals’ class status in underpinning contemporary inequalities, adding that ‘we must avoid a one-dimensional debate that assumes all minority-ethnic people are disadvantaged’ (cited in Sparrow and Owen 2010).
