Introduction

Race, Ethnicity and Social Theory provides a critical overview of trends and developments in the field of racial and ethnic studies that have emerged during the past few decades and engages with the main theoretical perspectives that have helped to frame this field of scholarship and research. In developing this account the book seeks both to engage with key bodies of theoretical scholarship and empirical research as well as to discuss key facets of these societal conversations in Britain as well as other societies about questions of race and ethnicity. In this chapter the main focus is on outlining the background issues that help to frame the concerns of the book as a whole. This then leads into a discussion of the broader bodies of scholarship and research and how they have evolved and changes over the past few decades.