Wales Unchained

In Wales Unchained a leading scholar in cultural studies explores the ways in which the Welsh have defined themselves in the past, to suggest some ways in which we should conceive of ourselves if we are to inhabit a tolerant and tolerable future.

In Wales Unchained Daniel G. Williams explores how Welsh writers, politicians and intellectuals have defined themselves – and have been defined by others – since the early twentieth century. Whether by exploring ideas of race in the 1930s or reflecting on the metaphoric uses of boxing, asking what it means to inhabit the ‘American century’ or probing the linguistic bases of cultural identity, Williams writes with a rare blend of theoretical sophistication and accessible clarity. This book discusses Rhys Davies in relation to D. H. Lawrence, explores the simultaneous impact that Dylan Thomas and saxophonist Charlie Parker had on the Beat Generation in 1950s America, and juxtaposes the uses made of class and ethnicity in the thought of Aneurin Bevan and Paul Robeson. Transatlantic in scope and comparative in method, this book will engage readers interested in literature, politics, history and contemporary cultural debate.

General Editor’s PrefaceAcknowledgementsIntroduction1. The Lure of Race: Rhys Davies and D. H. Lawrence2. Black and White: Boxing, Race and Modernity3. Blood Jumps: Dylan Thomas, Charlie Parker and 1950s America4. Class and Identity: Aneurin Bevan and Paul Robeson5. To Know the Divisions: The Identity of Raymond Williams6. American Freaks: Welsh Poets and the United States7. Singing Unchained: Language, Nation and Multiculturalism