Migration to Britain

Migration and Diversity in Britain

In this course, Professor Panikos Panayi (De Montfort University) explores migration and diversity in Britain. In the first module, we introduce the main flows of migration into Britain over the last two centuries and their drivers. The second and third modules examine issues relating to, firstly, the social and economic integration of migrants into British society and, secondly, the formation of identity within migrant communities. In the fourth module, we turn to the problem of racism and xenophobia towards migrants in Britain, at both the official and the unofficial levels. In the fifth module, we conclude by discussing the legal basis of multiculturalism and the widespread impacts of migration on British culture.

Migration to Britain

In this module, we think about the development of migration into Britain over the last two centuries, and its main drivers. We focus on: (i) the major migration flows into Britain since c. 1800, beginning with refugees from the French Revolution and including movements of people from former colonies in the post-World War II period; (ii) the major underlying factors for this migration - Britain’s wealth, its political liberties, and migration policies; (iii) the importance of occupational and community networks in migration to Britain, using examples of movements from Cyprus and India.