Examines Morrissey’s cultural significance and controversies, offering the first sustained, balanced academic analysis of his ‘cancellation’ and its legal, ethical and cultural implications.
Love him or hate him, Morrissey has been a significant figure in popular culture for more than 40 years, and his continuing appearance in the national media is evidence that people remain fascinated with him. In the last decade, however, following a series of controversial statements from the singer, the love/hate division has tipped firmly into the ‘hate’ category, to the extent where to declare oneself a Morrissey fan in 2026 is to risk being labelled ‘right-wing’. This book will conduct a detailed exploration of the controversies in question, drawing upon available evidence including newspaper and magazine articles, UK legislation, critical race perspectives, UK Party Manifestos, OFCOM guidance, UK Parliament bills, philosophies on ethics, various academic texts, literary theory, and excerpts from Morrissey’s website and autobiography ) to give considered responses to the questions ‘Is Morrissey a racist?’;‘Should Morrissey be cancelled for his views?’; and ‘What does this mean for his body of work?’, which, until now, have only been addressed briefly via articles or social media posts.
