"Immigration, ethnicity, multiculturalism and racism are often perceived as recent additions to the British social and cultural landscape - yet, far from being new, these phenomena have characterised British life since the 19th century. Although the numbers of immigrants have increased since the Second World War, groups such as the Irish, Germans and East European Jews have been arriving, settling and making an impact on British society from the Victorian period onwards. In this comprehensive and fascinating account, Panikos Panayi tackles the many contradictions in the history of immigration over the past two centuries: migration versus government control
migrant poverty versus social mobility
ethnic identity versus increasing Anglicisation
and, above all, racism versus multiculturalism."--pub. desc.
Includes bibliographical references and index.