Abstract
It has been suggested recently that ‘The one issue of which academic historians have still, so far, fought shy’, is ‘the diverse ethnic composition of these islands’.1 This observation stands in need of qualification but it contains a substantial grain of truth. In particular, historians have seriously neglected the immigration which has occurred since the Second World War. This neglect is not mirrored among sociologists, urban geographers and political scientists. On the contrary, their footprints lie heavy on these years.2 In the course of their work these social scientists have produced a mass of challenging concepts from which historians can benefit. Nevertheless, the marked reluctance of the majority of these writers to inject a substantial historical dimension into their work reduces its overall effectiveness.
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10. Immigration
J. Clark, ‘A patriot for me’, The Guardian, 18 July 1989.
R. King, ‘Italian Migrants to Great Britain’, Geography, 62, (1977) 179.
C. Holmes, John Bull’s Island. Immigration and British Society 1871–1971 (1988) develops the theme.
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Quoted M. Banton, ‘Social Acceptance and Rejection’, in R. Hooper (ed.), Colour in Britain (1965) p. 115.
J. A. Jackson, The Irish in Britain (1963) p. 108.
C. Husbands, ‘East End Racism 1900–1980. Geographical Continuities in Vigilantist and Extreme Right Wing Political Behaviour’, London Journal, 8 (1982) 21.
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© 1991 Colin Holmes
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Holmes, C. (1991). Immigration. In: Gourvish, T., O’Day, A. (eds) Britain Since 1945. Problems in Focus Series. Palgrave, London. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-349-21603-1_10
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-349-21603-1_10
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