On October 25, 2022, there was an event at London's prestigious arts venue, The Barbican, that sought to document and celebrate Arsenal's place in Black British social history. The event was led by University College London faculty - Professor Paul Gilroy (the founding director of the Sarah Parker Remond Centre for the Study of Racism & Racialisation) and Dr Clive Nwonka (Associate Professor in Film, Culture and Society) - and it's spawned a book project.
'Black Arsenal' will be published by Weidenfeld & Nicolson in Autumn 2024.
The book's editorial team pairs Dr. Nwonka with Matthew Harle, a Barbican curator. Professor Gilroy remains with the project, as he will pen an extended introduction. Speaking to Arsenal.com, Dr. Nwonka said: "Black Arsenal is the culmination of several years of research and thinking into the quite unique relationship between Arsenal and Black identities, both in British and international contexts. This relationship transcends football.
"We see it in popular and visual culture, music, fashion subcultures, anti-racism movements, organic multiculture and the everyday connections between Black people and culture and society – and, crucially, between each other."
RELEASE DATE: To be confirmed
PUBLISHER'S DESCRIPTION
Arsenal Football Club is a nexus of London’s everyday multiculture. The club’s uniquely convivial fandom reflects the changing city that surrounds it. And over decades of fielding Black footballers who have made iconic contributions to the English game, it has formed a special relationship with Black Britain. Black Arsenal tells the story of a football club that came to stand for much more than the game itself.
This book will balance serious intellectual enquiry with first-hand experience. It will be told in words and pictures with contributions from a multigenerational range of voices – writers, scholars, prominent fans and the players themselves – and a mixture of eye-catching illustration: from the best sports photography to personal snapshots. An extended introductory essay from Paul Gilroy will offer a wide-ranging consideration of Arsenal’s role in London’s Black history.
PUBLISHER'S AUTHOR PROFILE
Nwonka is associate professor in film, culture and society at UCL, and a faculty associate of the UCL Sarah Parker Remond Centre for the Study of Racism and Racialisation. Nwonka’s research centres on the study of Black British and African American film, with a particular focus on images of Black urbanity. In addition, he has published extensively on racial inequality in the creative industries.
Harle is a writer and curator from London. His most recent book was the edited Mirror Reflecting Darkly: The Rita Keegan Archive (Goldsmiths) and his current project traces the figures from a found address book of Jewish Berliners from 1931. He is curator of public programmes at the Barbican.
Comentários