SMALL ACTS

A black British sociologist weighs in with some jargon-heavy but stimulating essays on black identity at home and away. ``Contemporary British racism deals in cultural difference rather than crude biological hierarchy,'' observes Gilroy (The Black Atlantic). He also explores how Britain's small and heterogenous black community differs from that of the United States. Gilroy's academic locutions (``Rap is... rooted in the syncretic social relations of the South Bronx'') obscure some of his points, and references to Brits not widely known in the States, like boxer Frank Bruno and comedian Lenny Henry, may be lost on some US readers. Perhaps most interesting to an American audience are his conversations with author Toni Morrison and critic bell hooks, and his innovative analysis of how black political discourse ``colonized the record sleeve'' of the 1960's and 1970's. Though rarefied, some worthy ideas. (Illustrations)