The African Grounds of Race Relations in Britain.

This article examines the historical development of the concept and institutionalization of "race relations" in post-war Britain, tracing its origins primarily to British settler colonies in Africa rather than to metropolitan non-white migrants as commonly assumed. It highlights how colonial Africa, especially South Africa and the Central African Federation, provided models, personnel, and funding for a British race relations industry that depoliticized racism and sought to manage anticolonial and Black Power movements by framing them as issues of racial identification. The Institute of Race Relations (IRR) in London, established in the 1950s with support from mining corporations and philanthropic foundations, played a central role in producing research aimed at preserving economic interests amid decolonization, emphasizing gradual integration and neoliberal development approaches. While the IRR eventually addressed race relations within Britain, its primary focus remained on managing postcolonial transitions abroad, with critiques emerging in the 1970s that challenged its role in sustaining racial inequalities and co-opting Black and Asian activism. The article underscores that understanding Britain's race relations industry requires situating it within the broader imperial and economic contexts of late colonial Africa.