Resistance

A most anticipated book of 2025 in Guardian, Independent and Elle

Resistance presents a century of activism, from the radical suffrage movement in 1903 through key moments including the Battle of Cable Street, the Black People’s Day of Action, Greenham Common Women's Peace Camp and the Miners’ Strike; onto protests against environmental destruction, struggles for LGBTQ+ and disability rights; culminating with the largest protest in Britain’s history: the march against the War in Iraq in 2003.

A wealth of photographs – from covert surveillance images to era-defining press reportage – are interwoven with firsthand accounts from those who witnessed these major historical moments and expert analysis of where these stories lead us today. Featuring contributions from groundbreaking voices such as Gary Younge, Paul Gilroy and Baroness Chakrabarti, alongside powerful images from renowned photographers including Vanley Burke, Edith Tudor-Hart, Tish Murtha and Paul Trevor.

Resistance uncovers the often-overlooked stories of individuals who have been instrumental in forming modern Britain and is a testament to the empowering impact of collective action today.

About the Author

Steve McQueen is a celebrated artist and filmmaker renowned for his uncompromising vision. McQueen has directed five feature films, including the Oscar-winning 12 Years a Slave and most recently Blitz. He has won numerous awards including the Turner Prize in 1999. His work has been featured in Documenta (1997 & 2002), and he represented the United Kingdom at the 2009 Venice Biennale. He has held solo exhibitions at prominent institutions such as the Art Institute of Chicago (2012), Schaulager, Basel (2013), Tate Modern (2020) and Dia Beacon, New York (2024). Projects include Year 3 at Tate Britain (2019) and Grenfell at the Serpentine South Gallery (2023). In 2020, McQueen made Small Axe, a five-part film anthology about London's West Indian community. He co-directed Uprising (2021), a documentary on the 1981 New Cross Fire.