In Solidarity, Under Suspicion - by Daniel Frost & Evan Smith (Hardcover)

About the Book

A collection of original research on far-left groups and activists in Britain from the 1950s onwards, focusing in particular on themes of international solidarity, British Black Power, experiences of policing and surveillance, and relationships to the Labour Party.

Book Synopsis

In solidarity, under suspicion is the successor volume to Against the grain (2014) and Waiting for the revolution (2017), complementing analysis of the far left in Britain from 1956 until the present. In addition to new scholarship on hitherto under-researched groups and movements, the volume explores recent findings from the Undercover Policing Inquiry and provides historical context for developments in the British left during and after 'Corbynism'. Chapters consider the far left's relationship to the state as well as to the Labour Party, and highlights attempts by far-left groups and activists both to intervene internationally and to transform themselves. With a range of different perspectives - activist and academic - In solidarity, under suspicion draws out the distinct ways that different far left groups and movements have responded to problems which remain salient today.

From the Back Cover

In solidarity, under suspicion is the third volume of essays on the histories of the British far left from 1956 to the present. Adding to the findings of the previous volumes, this book argues for the significance of studying left-wing groups and activists beyond the Labour Party. After 1956, realignments and divisions on the British left generated a range of creative political responses which continue to inform left-wing activisms today.

Composed in the years following the 2019 general election defeat of Jeremy Corbyn's Labour Party and the apparent dissolution of 'Corbynism', this third volume turns attention to histories relevant to contemporary movements like Black Lives Matter and solidarity with Palestine. It explores themes such as global solidarity, British Black Power, trade unionism and the far left's relationship to the Labour Party and the state. As well as oral history and newly digitised sources published by far-left groups themselves, several chapters make use of the findings of the ongoing Undercover Policing Inquiry to discuss left-wing experiences of policing and surveillance.

Drawing together writers from both academic and activist backgrounds, these volumes contribute to research on twentieth- and twenty-first century British politics whilst also providing historical material for contemporary struggles in Britain and internationally. They include chapters focused on specific left-wing organisations as well as comparative studies covering the British left as a broader milieu.

About the Author

Daniel Frost is a Visiting Research Fellow at the Mile End Institute, Queen Mary University of London.
Evan Smith is a Visiting Fellow at Flinders University, South Australia, and a Visiting Research Fellow at the University of Adelaide.