Notting Hill Carnival and Rock Against Racism: converging cultures of resistance during late 1970s Britain

The Notting Hill Carnival and Rock Against Racism were two of the most significant cultural and political movements of the mid-to-late 1970s. While the two movements had numerous contact points, academia has hitherto viewed them in isolation. In contrast, this article examines three areas of convergence that Rock Against Racism held with the Notting Hill Carnival to assess whether their connectedness advanced the struggle against racism in Britain. The first point of convergence relates to how the two cultural forms interlaced politics and culture in response to a racially charged hostile environment in the mid-1970s. Secondly, contesting social space became a central tactic of the respective movements' cultural and political interventions. Finally, in responding to the challenges of incorporating and representing young people, the two movements became platforms which engendered cross-pollination between black and white youth subcultures, strengthening antiracist solidarity. The article utilises data from qualitative interviews and archival research.