David Swift (author)
David Swift (born 1987) is an English writer and historian.[1]
Swift studied history at Girton College, University of Cambridge.[2] His work focuses on left-wing activism and on different 'identities', such as class, race and gender.[3] Swift has written for a variety of newspapers and periodicals including the New Statesman,[4] Tribune (magazine),[5] The Times,[6] The Independent[7] and UnHerd.[8]
Swift's first book, a history of the British Left during the First World War, was described by reviewer Prof Peter Stansky as ‘an important contribution to the ever-fascinating subject of the history of the British left [and] the development of the Labour party’.[9]
Swift's second book, A Left for Itself,[10] was the first analysis of 'political hobbyism' in the UK,[11][12] and focused on what he termed 'performative radicalism' in the era of the internet and social media.[13] It was heralded as a definitive analysis of the failure of Jeremy Corbyn's Labour party at the 2019 United Kingdom general election.[14]
In 2022 Swift published his third book, The Identity Myth,[15][16] which interrogated common understandings of different 'identities' such as class, race, gender, and generation.[17] It was a Next Big Idea Club finalist for 2022.[18]
Works[edit]
- For Class and Country: the Patriotic Left and the First World War (2017)
- A Left for Itself: Left-wing Hobbyists and Performative Radicalism (2019)
- The Identity Myth: Why We Need to Embrace our Differences to Beat Inequality (2022)
References[edit]
- ^ "Speakers: David Swift". Battle of Ideas Festival.
- ^ "The Identity Myth".
- ^ "The Identity Myth".
- ^ "David Swift, author at New Statesman". The New Statesman.
- ^ "David Swift". Tribune. Retrieved 1 December 2022.
- ^ Swift, David. "Until they are willing to compromise, Corbynistas will remain hobbyists". The Times. Retrieved 1 December 2022.
- ^ "Author: David Swift". The Independent.
- ^ "David Swift, a writer for UnHerd".
- ^ Stansky, Peter (2018). "David Swift . For Class and Country: The Patriotic Left and the First World War". Journal of British Studies. 57 (2): 443–444. doi:10.1017/jbr.2018.50.
- ^ "A Left for Itself". Zer0 Books.
- ^ "'Today's leftists want to make politics all about themselves'".
- ^ Bickerton, James (3 November 2019). "Middle-class Corbynite 'hobbyists' are pushing working-class out of Labour claims author". Daily Express.
- ^ Swallow, Christian. "Protesting should be about wanting change, not for personal identity". Varsity. Retrieved 1 December 2022.
- ^ Aaronovitch, David. "A Left for Itself by David Swift review — why the Corbynistas got clobbered". The Times.
- ^ The Identity Myth. Hachette. 16 August 2021. ISBN 9780349135335.
- ^ Bloodworth, James. "The Identity Myth by David Swift review — identity politics... isn't it a bit racist?". The Times. Retrieved 1 December 2022.
- ^ Bloodworth, James (February 2022). "The Conservatives' levelling up love affair with the working class was over before it began". The New Statesman. Retrieved 1 December 2022.
- ^ "The Identity Myth: Why We Need to Embrace Our Differences to Beat Inequality". Next Big Idea Club.