David Swift – författare

We are in crisis. As a society we have never been less connected. The internet and globalisation fuel ignorance and anger, while the disconnect between people''s reality and perceived identities has never been greater. Karl Marx outlined the idea of a material ''base'' and politico-cultural ''superstructure''. According to this formula, a material reality - wealth, income, occupation - determined your politics, leisure habits, tastes, and how you made sense of the world. Today, the importance of material deprivation, in terms of threats to life, health and prosperity, are as acute as ever. But the identities apparently generated by these realities are increasingly detached from material circumstances. At the same time, different identities are needlessly conflated through a process of reeling off a list of -isms and -phobias, and are lumped together, as though these groups all somehow have something in common with one another. Th is process is not just inappropriate but obscures the specific nature of problems being faced. In The Identity Myth, David Swift covers the four different kinds of identity most susceptible to this trend - class, race, sex and age. He considers how the boundaries of identities are policed and how diverse versions of the same identity can be deployed to different ends. Ultimately, it is not that identities are simply more ''complex'' than they appear but that there are more important commonalities. In a powerful call to arms, Swift argues that we must unite against these identity myths and embrace our differences to beat inequality.

This volume synthesises the latest scholarship on First World War veterans in post-war Britain and Ireland, investigating the topic through its political, social and cultural dynamics. It examines the post-war experiences of those men and women who served and illuminates the nature of the post-war society for which service had been given. Complicating the homogenising tendency in existing scholarship it offers comparison of the experiences of veterans in different regions of Britain, including perspectives drawn from Ireland. Further nuance is offered by the assessment of the experiences of ex-servicewomen alongside those of ex-servicemen, such focus deeping understanding into the gendered specificities of post-war veteran activities and experiences. Moreover, case studies of specific cohorts of veterans are offered, including focus on disabled veterans and ex-prisoners of war.

In these regards the collection offers vital updates to existing scholarship while bringing important new departures and challenges to the current interpretive frameworks of veteran experiences in post-war Britain and Ireland.

This volume synthesises the latest scholarship on First World War veterans in post-war Britain and Ireland, investigating the topic through its political, social and cultural dynamics. It examines the post-war experiences of those men and women who served and illuminates the nature of the post-war society for which service had been given. Complicating the homogenising tendency in existing scholarship it offers comparison of the experiences of veterans in different regions of Britain, including perspectives drawn from Ireland. Further nuance is offered by the assessment of the experiences of ex-servicewomen alongside those of ex-servicemen, such focus deeping understanding into the gendered specificities of post-war veteran activities and experiences. Moreover, case studies of specific cohorts of veterans are offered, including focus on disabled veterans and ex-prisoners of war.

In these regards the collection offers vital updates to existing scholarship while bringing important new departures and challenges to the current interpretive frameworks of veteran experiences in post-war Britain and Ireland.

''Liverpool beguiles, Liverpool bewilders. Swift''s superb analysis gets to the scarred heart of this troubled, beautiful and spirited city'' Paul Du Noyer''[Swift] has a terrific eye for the telling detail . . . You should read this book'' Guardian''Fascinating, funny and full of great stories - just like the city itself'' Alywn Turner''Deftly blends a sweeping, multi-century history of the city''s rising and fading fortunes with the cultural vignettes of Beatlemania and Merseybeat, the figure of the "scally" and Liverpool''s "birds", and the emergence of football casual culture which began on Anfield and Goodison Park''s terraces'' New StatesmanLiverpool is a unique city within the United Kingdom; its dialect, hedonism, friendliness, rejection of ''Englishness'' and, most pertinently, its politics, all make for a rich cultural landscape. Yet, many of the things that make Liverpool the city it is today were not always at the fore. Furthermore, the complexity of the city, and an investigation into all aspects of its past, has not been readily available - until now.In Scouse Republic, David Swift expertly tracks the city''s transformation from a humble village to a central component of the transatlantic slave trade and one of the most important ports in the world; from a stronghold of working-class Toryism to a bastion of left-wing politics, and analyses how the two manifest today. Swift interrogates the myths surrounding the city, offering a fully rounded perspective that considers both Liverpool''s triumphs and tragedies, cleverly demonstrating how its remarkable evolution has added to the city''s distinctive status. After all, in order to understand Liverpool, we need to understand its idiosyncrasies - all of which are key to comprehending modern Britain today, particularly in relation to racism, empire, deindustrialisation, immigration, popular culture and more.Interspersed with personal anecdotes from Swift, who was born and bred in Liverpool, Scouse Republic is the untold history of one of the UK''s most iconic cities. Brilliantly researched and deeply compelling, it illustrates that there is far more to Liverpool than meets the eye.