Refugees in Twentieth-Century Britain A 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.

Becky Taylor teaches modern British history at the University of East Anglia. She is the (co)author of four other books, including Another Darkness, Another Dawn: A History of Gypsies, Roma and Travellers (2014) and A Minority and the State: Travellers in Britain in the Twentieth Century (2008).