The concept of a unified African-Caribbean community or identity is a modern construction in that it emerged in its present guise during the second half of the twentieth century. Prior to this, the identity politics of the ‘black’ people from this region were largely polarized. They were frequently divided along lines of island identities (Jamaica, Barbados, St Kitts etc.). Focusing on the period between 1970 and 1979, this article sketches out the ways in which the black experience within local-level football also contributed to identity change among a particular group of young sportsmen in Leicester.
An analysis of the experience of African Caribbeans in the postwar period in Great Britain. Explores both the relationship between migration and racism and the formation of ethnic identity of these migrants. Also confronts the political implications of the new identities being forged by Black people in the country.
