Sex, ‘race’ and riot in Liverpool, 1919

Racist violence which occurred in Liverpool in 1919 is analyzed in this article, and it is argued that three main themes can be identified in media, policing and political debates which followed. These are fears of sexual relations between different ‘races’, competition for employment, and questions relating to citizenship occasioned by a scheme of assisted repatriation introduced to remove black migrant workers from the ‘mother country’. The article argues that the issue of ‘racial’ difference between the communities involved in the disorders should not be treated as a straightforward variable in its own right. Instead recognition of the articulation between racialised discourse and other factors, such as sexual relations, is central to a full understanding of the events.