Refugees in Twentieth-Century Britain
A History

A timely history of the entry, reception and resettlement of refugees to Britain across the twentieth century.

Becky Taylor (Author)

9781316638385, Cambridge University Press

Paperback / softback, published 13 May 2021

290 pages
23 x 15.3 x 1.8 cm, 0.496 kg

'Thanks to the outstanding scholarship of Refugees in Twentieth Century Britain, the beautiful difficulty and complexity of things and people is a little easier to understand.' Katherine Mackinnon, Refugee History

This timely history explores the entry, reception and resettlement of refugees across twentieth-century Britain. Focusing on four cohorts of refugees – Jewish and other refugees from Nazism; Hungarians in 1956; Ugandan Asians expelled by Idi Amin; and Vietnamese 'boat people' who arrived in the wake of the fall of Saigon – Becky Taylor deftly integrates refugee history with key themes in the history of modern Britain. She thus demonstrates how refugees' experiences, rather than being marginal, were emblematic of some of the principal developments in British society. Arguing that Britain's reception of refugees was rarely motivated by humanitarianism, this book reveals the role of Britain's international preoccupations, anxieties and sense of identity; and how refugees' reception was shaped by voluntary efforts and the changing nature of the welfare state. Based on rich archival sources, this study offers a compelling new perspective on changing ideas of Britishness and the place of 'outsiders' in modern Britain.

Introduction
1, Protectionism vs Internationalism: Refugees from Nazism
2. Post-War Settlement: The Hungarians
3, Rivers of Blood: The Ugandan Asians
4, Marketisation and Multiculturalism: Refugees from Vietnam
5. A New World Order: Conclusion
Bibliography.

Subject Areas: Politics & government [JP], Refugees & political asylum [JFFD], 20th century history: c 1900 to c 2000 [HBLW], British & Irish history [HBJD1]