Understanding Brexit

Graham Taylor is Associate Professor of Sociology at the University of the West of England, UK. He has published widely on political sociology, globalization and labour studies and is the author of The New Political Sociology: Power, Ideology and Identity in an Age of Complexity, The Crisis of Social Democratic Trade Unionism in Western Europe: Prospects for Alternatives (with Andrew Mathers and Martin Upchurch, 2009) and Globalization, Modernity and Social Change: Hotspots of Transition (with Jörg Dürrschmidt; 2007).

Taylor questions the common-sense view that the meaning of the British vote to leave the European Union does not extend beyond the political and legal relationship between the United Kingdom and the European Union. This narrow definition, he argues, does not exhaust the possible meanings and significance of Brexit. He discusses whether "Brexit means Brexit" is true, reluctant Europeans: an economic history of European integration in the United Kingdom, two tribes: the winners and losers of European integration, new political alignments: the making of a pro-Brexit electoral coalition, and post-Brexit trajectories.

• Acknowledgements Abbreviations Chapter One: Introduction: Brexit means Brexit! Or does it?  Chapter Two: Reluctant Europeans? An Economic History of European Integration in the UK Chapter Three: Two Tribes? The Winners and Losers of European Integration Chapter Four: New Political Alignments? The making of a Pro-Brexit Electoral Coalition Chapter Five: Post-Brexit Trajectories Bibliography Index