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‘Nadya Ali’s book shows how the very idea of Britishness brings with it a racial hierarchy of belonging…A devastating account of how British life is shaped by colonialisms, old and new’-- Arun Kundnani, author of The Muslims are Coming!

‘Ground-breaking ... details how counterterrorism and immigration policy intersect to pressure Muslims and communities of color to change their behavior or risk being labeled “extremists." The book provides tools to challenge and resist state violence in multiple ways. A must read’-- Rizwaan Sabir, author of The Suspect

‘A blistering account of British nationalism’s pained but violent psyche’-- Sivamohan Valluvan, author of The Clamour of Nationalism

Citizenship entitlements grow increasingly precarious in post-Brexit Britain, wracked by multiple crises.

In The Violence of Britishness, Nadya Ali examines the impact of counterterrorism and immigration policy on Muslims and other racially minoritized groups. Dissecting the Prevent strategy, she shows how Muslims have been compelled to reform their conduct to prove their ‘Britishness' or risk being labeled ‘extremist’ and made vulnerable to state violence.

Situating her analysis within broader contexts such as the hostile environment, austerity, and the cost-of-living crisis, Ali shows that your rights as a citizen are conditional and dependent upon who the state counts as sufficiently ‘British.'

Dr Nadya Ali is a writer and researcher currently working in policy and advocacy in the charity sector. Before this, she worked for over 10 years in Higher Education, researching, publishing, and teaching on the issues of security, borders and race, and racism.

About the Author

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Dr Nadya Ali is a writer and researcher currently working in policy and advocacy in the charity sector. Prior to this she worked for over 10 years in Higher Education researching, publishing and teaching on the issues of security, borders and race and racism.

Praise For…

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'Nadya Ali's book shows how the very idea of Britishness brings with it a racial hierarchy of belonging. Tracing the connections between various policy areas normally discussed in isolation - the hostile environment, Prevent, and citizenship deprivation - the book is a devastating account of how British life is shaped by colonialisms, old and new.'
Arun Kundnani, author of 'The Muslims are Coming!' (Verso Books, 2014)

'A groundbreaking book detailing how counterterrorism and immigration policy intersect to pressure Muslims and communities of colour to change their behaviour or risk being labelled 'extremists' and 'terrorists'. The book not only contributes to awareness of the ideologies and mechanics of racialised state violence but will provide students, scholars, and communities with the tools to challenge and resist state violence in multiple ways. A must read.'
Dr. Rizwaan Sabir, Senior Lecturer in Criminology, Liverpool John Moores University and author of 'The Suspect' (Pluto Press, 2022)

'How is it that in a society that eschews racism as a toxic remnant of the past, and that adopts explicitly non-racial policies, people of colour and Muslims especially are repeatedly rejected as belonging to Britain? In this sharp analysis of the intersection between counter terrorism and immigration, Nadya Ali shows how any answer must incorporate the structuring role of our colonial past.'
Alan Lester, Professor of Historical Geography, University of Sussex

'In a moment when Britain seems to be in self-inflicted freefall, this work reminds us of the violence and cruelty involved in the demarcation of Britishness. Ali helps us to trace the connections between strands of state violence in order to persuade us that our only hope is an anti-racism that pushes back against all of these interlinked dehumanisations.'
Gargi Bhattacharyya, author of 'Dangerous Brown Men' and co-author of 'Empire's Endgame'