1st Edition

Strangers, Aliens and Asians Huguenots, Jews and Bangladeshis in Spitalfields 1666-2000

By Anne Kershen Copyright 2005
264 Pages 5 B/W Illustrations
by Routledge

264 Pages 5 B/W Illustrations
by Routledge

264 Pages 5 B/W Illustrations
by Routledge

Exploring the dynamics that drive the processes of immigrant settlement and assimilation, this fascinating book looks at whether these are solely the outcome of the temporal setting, cultural background, and the contemporaneous socio-economic and political conditions, or whether there are factors which, irrespective of the prevailing environment, are constant features in the symbiosis between the... Read more

Acknowledgements  List of Maps  Introduction  1. People, Place and a Phenomenon  2. Home  3. Spitalfields: A Place on the Edge  4. Religion  5. Charity and Welfare  6. Mother Tongue a Bridge to Assimilation  7. Huguenots, Jews and Bangladeshis and The Spirit of Capitalism  8. Xenophobia, Anti-Alienism and Racism  9. Conclusion  Bibliography

Biography

First comprehensive look at 300 years of immigration in the Spitalfields area, although the location has received much scholarly attention

Immigration studies is a growing field with plenty of room for additional research

'Anne Kerschen's book is a welcome addition to the field of research on diasporic groups in Britain.' - Black and Asian Studies Association

'The London neighborhood of Spitalfields has been home to minority groups for centuries and has over the years been known as Petty France, Little Jerusalem, and, now, Banglatown. Examining the neighborhood’s Huguenots emigrating from France in the 17th and 18th centuries, Eastern European Jews arriving in the last third of the 19th century, and Bangladeshis that started showing up in the 1950s, Kershen (director, Centre for the Study of Migration, U. of London, UK) thematically explores the dynamics driving the processes of immigration settlement and assimilation in London. He further seeks to assess whether immigration and assimilation patterns are solely the outcome of temporal setting, cultural background, and socio-economic and political conditions, or whether other factors come into play.'Reference & Research Book News