International migration and ethnic diversity in London in the first decades of the twentieth and twenty-first centuries

The project will explore international migration and ethnic diversity in parts of London in the first decades of the twentieth and twenty-first centuries using a combination of historical and contemporary Population Census and related information sources.

The first decade of the twenty-first century has been characterised by a significant change in the ethnic diversity of the UK’s population and this has attracted feverish attention in the media and policy making circles. However, Britain has a long history of welcoming international migrants from many countries and of assimilating British citizens born overseas, notably in colonial territories.

This project provides the opportunity to combine historical and contemporary perspectives for understanding changing patterns of international migration and ethnic diversity. It builds on work with the household and individual level records from the 1901 and 1911 Population Censuses, which has revealed evidence of ethnic diversity and local concentrations of people born overseas including those who had returned from British colonies. The project will combine quantitative and qualitative approaches to understanding the evolving links between international migration and ethnic diversity.

Possible research questions include;
1. How differentiated were areas of London in respect of international migrants and ethnic diversity during the first decade of the 20th century?
2. How has this differentiation impacted the local spatial patterns of international migrants and ethnically in the first decade of the twenty-first century?
3. How does the legacy of historical demographic processes impact on contemporary population patterns?