- History
- Europe
- Politics, Institutions, and Public Opinion
- Revitalizing History
Author and columnist Tomiwa Owolade joins Secrets of Statecraft to discuss his bestselling book This Is Not America and why Britain’s conversation about race has become increasingly shaped by American ideas and assumptions. He argues that importing US concepts such as critical race theory, identity politics, and Black Lives Matter into a fundamentally different British historical and social context has distorted public debate, weakened social cohesion, and obscured the real sources of inequality. The conversation also covers cultural cringe, the future of wokeness, the rise of sectarian politics, anti-Semitism, social justice ideology, and the enduring power of American culture. It’s a wide-ranging conversation about race, national identity, free inquiry, and whether Britain can rediscover a shared civic culture before its own culture wars become even more entrenched.
Recorded on May 1, 2026.
ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Tomiwa Owolade is a British journalist and author based in London, England. His debut book, This is Not America, was the major winner of the 2021 Giles St Aubyn Award from the Royal Society of Literature for a first work of non-fiction.
RELATED SOURCE
- Owolade, Tomiwa. This Isn’t America: Why Black Lives in Britain Matter. London: Atlantic Books, 2024.
ABOUT THE SERIES
Secrets of Statecraft is a bimonthly podcast hosted by Distinguished Visiting Fellow Andrew Roberts that explores the effect that the study of history has had on the careers and decision-making of public figures. The podcast also features leading historians discussing the influence that the study of history had on their biographical subjects. The title is taken from Winston Churchill’s reply on Coronation Day 1953 to a young American who had asked him for life advice, to whom he said, “Study history, study history, for therein lie all the secrets of statecraft.”
