Cultures of London - Legacies of Migration

One of the most international, culturally diverse cities in the world, London's social and cultural history is steeped in centuries of migration. This book places migrants at the centre of London's story, discussing, exploring and celebrating the contribution that they have made to the city from the medieval period to the present day. Structured geographically around five sections, each of which addresses a different area of London (North, East, Central, South and West) this book features essays from a wide range of contributors, some of which examine how migrants have shaped particular places (socially, architecturally, politically), and some of which analyse how they have been imagined and represented within those places and the city more widely. The inclusion of image-led case studies exploring particular buildings, monuments, artists or institutions offers local examples of how migrant communities have made their marks on London in different ways. Using a mixture of in-depth analysis of texts and cultural artifacts with more synoptic, historical essays, the book builds an overview of the contribution of migrant communities to the history and cultures of London. Taken together, these essays paints a rich, complex picture of cultural London, featuring well-known figures like Shakespeare, Dostoevsky and Van Gogh in addition to lesser-known figures like Ignatius Sancho, a former slave and writer, and contemporary novelist Hanan al-Shaykh. Topics addressed are rich and varied, from an examination of Chinese aesthetics of an artefact at the British museum, to an exploration of representations of black sex workers in 18th C London. Published amidst the fraught politics of Brexit, the revival of nationalist sentiments in the global north, and the Covid-19 pandemic, this book serves as an accessible and timely reminder of the enormous cultural contributions that migrants have made to Britain’s capital.