Resistance

The powerful new book on protest in Britain from the award-winning director and artist Sir Steve McQueen

An inspiring, landmark book that traces 100 years of protest and resistance in Britain, edited by Academy Award-winning film director and artist Sir Steve McQueen with Turner Contemporary Gallery.

An inspiring, landmark book that traces 100 years of protest and resistance in Britain, edited by Academy Award-winning film director and artist Sir Steve McQueen with Turner Contemporary Gallery.

Here for the first time, is the story of how protest shaped Britain – and how photography shaped protest – throughout the twentieth century.

Through a combination of rare archival photographs, expert commentary and firsthand testimonies, this Resistance asks how protest has shaped our nation and explores the transformative role that photography plays in driving change. Spanning a hundred years of British history, from 1903, with the formation of the militant Suffragette group, this traces a thread through Anti-fascist resistance during World War II to Greenham Common and the Miner’s Strikes, to struggles for LGBTQ+ rights, racial equality and disability rights, and on to protests against the War in Iraq in 2003.

Featuring a compelling introduction by Sir Steve McQueen, an in-depth contextual essay from Gary Younge, Resistance contains firsthand accounts from individuals and photographers who witnessed these major historical moments, as well as expert analysis of where these stories lead us. This is a thrilling account of the twentieth-century through the medium of protest, exploring the hopes and ideas driving individuals to protest, the personal sacrifices involved and the empowering impact of collective action today.