’Colonizationthroughaprocessofaffection’,wrotetheLondon-basedBarbadiannovelistGeorgeLammingin1960,was’theworstformofcolonization’.Lamming’sLondonwasmarkedbytheviolentcurrentsofracism--someseen,manydisavowed.Buttheoperationsofrace,theputting-in-placeofitshierarchies,thedestructionsoftheselfthatitslogicsentailed,exceededonlyexpressionsofviolenceandhatred.Itwasin’affection’,too,thatcolonialism’sracialvisionsoperated.Itwasnotonlyamongtheilliberals,butamongtheliberals,thatcolonizationcontinueditsholdonmetropolitanculture.Thiswascolonization,asLammingwouldalsoputit,byhumanity.ColonizedbyHumanityisastudyofracialliberalismattheendofempire.ItuncoverstheprojectstocultivateracialintegrationdevelopedinthetwodecadesbetweenthearrivaloftheEmpireWindrushandthepassageofthefirstRaceRelationsAct.Theseweretheyearsthatintegrationismtookholdasasocialphenomenon,itsreflexeslodgeddeepinanEnglishculturethattooktheideaof’tolerance’asitswatchword.Itwasaculturethatre-inscribedraceevenasitaimedatovercomingitsdiscriminations.CaribbeanLondonisattheheartofthisstory.Itwasinthecapitalthatintegrationprojectsmultipliedfastest,anditwasthemulticulturalcapitalthatprovidedintegrationism’simaginativegeographies.ViewingintegrationismthroughtheeyesofCaribbeanLondoners,ColonizedbyHumanityallowsustoseeitastheydid,withitscolonialandracialdynamicsupclose.
