Refugee Movements: From the Eighteenth Century to Today

“National history has marginalized the long history of refugee settlement in Britain and, in doing so, helped to stigmatize the… arrival of refugees”

This research guide provides an introduction to the history of refugee movements in Birmingham:

• Who were the first refugees to come to Birmingham and where were they from?
• Why has Birmingham been a home to different refugee communities and what social struggles have they undergone?
• How can we use ‘history’ to combat prejudices that refugee communities face today?

Chapters in this research guide include:

• Refugee Movements: From the Eighteenth Century to Today
• Jewish Refugees
• Refugees in the Early Twentieth Century
• Post-War Refugees
• Summary of some of the refugee groups who have settled in Birmingham

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People and places mentioned in this research guide include: asylum seekers; illegal immigrants; economic migrants; William Hutton; National Hebrew School; anti-Jewish pogroms; Oswald Mosley; Blackshirts; Ecole Belge; World War I; The Belgium Refugee Committee; Spanish Civil War; asylum myths; asylum truths; Kenya; Uganda; Peter Griffiths; Enoch Powell; Vietnam War; Handsworth; Minority Rights Group Report; Republic of Somalia; Bosnia; and, Albanian refugees.

Further links and research:

Staff Recommends - Refugee Movements

This is an additional miscellaneous resource list of materials on the subject of ‘Refugee Movements’. 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 ‘Refugee Movements’.

Campaigning for Social Justice

Connecting Histories learning package on 'Campaigning for Social Justice' in Birmingham, with an additional set of resources on the subject.