Summary

Salman Rushdie begins his essay “The New Empire within Britain” by stating that Britain is different from South Africa and Nazi Germany. He then explains that this argument is used against anti-racism campaigners because it shows that Britain’s situation is not as bad. Rushdie explains that this argument shows that white British people see racism as a minor thing and neglect it just because the country’s treatment of racial minorities could be worse. Rushdie also suggests that racism is at the very top of Britain’s issues and that the same racist attitudes that existed in colonial times are still present in today’s Britain. Rushdie suggests that one should look at past racist behavior to understand present-day racism. He says centuries of colonialism are reflected in...