ABSTRACT
Much of the notable sociological literature available that examines black British culture does so by focusing on black youth culture, so the experiences of adult middle-aged black men are left either unwritten or underwritten. Black people in Britain have moved from their monochrome existence of the 1960s and 1970s, and the colourised classifications of the 1980s and 1990s, into a society now in the new millennium, which some suggest is colour-blind, and is considered ‘post-racial’ – a social order where race is no longer pertinent or relevant. However, this assumption for some is questionable. Being black and British is littered with a host of complexities and concerns, some of which can be tackled openly, while others cause noisy silences. The incessant stereotypical representations of black men makes it difficult to present an authentic perspective on black masculinities. It is important that the voices of adult black men are squarely positioned within the broader sociological discourse, as they are both a highly relevant and visible group, who have negotiated many weighty issues of criminal justice, social policy, ethnicity and gender in Britain. It is also instructive for black men to be allowed space in order to present their life stories and narratives on their own terms, akin to the ground-breaking advancements that feminist perspectives have contributed to knowledge. This will equip black men with a platform upon which they can define themselves for themselves, transcend the confinements of subjugation and challenge the central assertions that underscore the fallacy of a ‘post-racial’ Britain.
