Institute of Race Relations

IRR

The story of the Institute of Race Relations (IRR) spans the 1950s to the present day, from its emergence in a post-war context of decolonization through its transformation in the 1970s and into its present form. The origins of the Institute can be traced back to 1952 when a Board of Studies in Race Relations was established at the Royal Institute of International Affairs or Chatham House in 1952, under the leadership of Philip Mason, an ex-Indian Civil Servant. It was initially seen as an ‘objective’ research endeavour, to collect data on race relations in Britain and former colonies which had recently gained independence, and this research would inform policy. Much of the research was backed by global business corporations with an interest in forging commercial links with Commonwealth countries. In 1958 race riots in Nottingham and Notting Hill indicated that the charity was not attuned to racial tensions within Britain so, with the assistance of a grant from the Rockefeller Foundation, it was able to establish itself that year as the independent ‘Institute of Race Relations’. Its new headquarters were set up at 26 Jermyn Street in London.

In the 1960s and 1970s, a key actor in the impending IRR reshuffle and rebrand was Ambalavaner Sivanandan (also known as A. Sivanandan). When the IRR was coming into its own, he had just migrated to the UK from Ceylon (later renamed Sri Lanka) after facing the effects of violent communalism in the country. Though his professional roots were in banking, Sivanandan became the IRR’s chief librarian in 1964. The 1960s and 1970s marked a period of change for Britain. Movements for women’s rights, Black Power and workers’ rights were fomenting voices of dissent within the Institute and a sense of disaffection surrounding its aims and executive board. The older management of the institute were increasingly seen to be out of touch with contemporary issues and the needs of minority ethnic communities. Members of staff lower down the rungs of the Institute also felt that their freedom of speech was being curtailed when the board disputed the more radical turn taken by the Institute’s journal, Race Today.

On 18 April 1972 IRR staff, led by Sivanandan, instigated what is now affectionately known as the ‘coup’ or the ‘Extraordinary General Meeting’, in which the old council were forced to resign and new managers were elected. The whole mission of the IRR had been transformed into the fight against racial injustice, and it redefined itself as a grass-roots think-tank which responded to the urgent needs of communities themselves. It also shifted the terms of its engagement, from studying ‘race relations’ and the life of immigrants in the UK to addressing structural racism.

Sivanandan took on sole directorship of the IRR in 1973 and he continued in this role until 2013. The journal of the Institute also transformed into Race & Class, originally edited by Sivanandan. It is still published regularly today. An aim for the journal was to ensure its accessibility for the ‘non-academic' community, so the perspectives of many non-academic interest groups, activists and individuals were henceforth to be found in its content. The IRR is still a strong and functioning part of the anti-racist struggle today. Currently, its new initiatives, such as its Calendar of Racism and Resistance (also a database for public use), continue to connect wider activism with more scholarly or political pursuits. It is also working on highlighting the significance of its Black history collections (including archival and library materials amassed over many years) for wider use.