The making of multicultural Britain is often dated to the arrival of the Windrush in 1948, but this obscures the lives of the many colonized migrants who were already surviving, and often thriving, in the metropole long before 1948. This book follows early twentieth century migrants from Africa, Asia and the Caribbean from their recruitment in the colonies through their varied exploits and experiences in Britain. It affords a window into life in multicultural working-class settlements before and between the world wars, offering unprecedented granular detail about who such migrants were, where they came from and moved to, how their networks and institutions in Britain functioned, how much they mixed with and married local people, and whether these patterns persisted or altered as new waves of migrants joined them over time. Weaving multiple stories together, Colonized Migrants in Imperial Britain tells of the opportunities seized; the networks, communities and kin that were sustained; and the strategies used to make ends meet. Often marginalised, policed and subordinated, this book shows how colonized migrants overcame formidable institutional obstacles to take part in, enrich, and build modern British society.
