Migration Stories: The Making of Modern Birmingham

“The nation is not homogeneous but is,
and always has been, plural, fragmented and differentiated”

Birmingham has been called both a ‘workshop of the world’ and a ‘city of migrants’:

• How are migrant stories connected to the making of modern Birmingham?
• What hidden histories of work and labour exit in the city?
• How have migrant communities have been linked to the same area?
• How are migration stories reflected and contained within the archives?

Chapters in this research guide include:

• Introduction: Whose History, Whose Heritage?
• The Emergence of a Jewish Community
• Tracing Irish Histories
• The Early Asian Presence
• Racism and Riots in the Early Twentieth Century

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People and places mentioned in this research guide include: Olaudah Equiano; William Hutton; Singers Hill Synagogue; Thomas Finigan; Joseph Salter; Princes of Oude; George Edalji; Sir Arthur Conan Doyle; and, James Watkins.

Further links and research:

Staff Recommends - Migration Stories

This is an additional miscellaneous resource list of materials on the subject of ‘Migration Stories’. Each item was suggested by the staff of Birmingham Archives & Heritage during research seminars held by the Birmingham Stories project. These can be used in conjuction with the resources in the learning guide on ‘Migration Stories: The Making of Modern Birmingham’.

Staff Recommends - Post-War Migration

This is an additional miscellaneous resource list of materials on the subject of ‘post-war migration’. Each item was suggested by the staff of Birmingham's Archives and Heritage Service during research seminars held by the Birmingham Stories project. These can also be used in conjuction with the resources in the learning guide on 'Race and Racism in Birmingham: Researching Post-War Archives'.