Publications

Bloody Foreigners: The Story of Immigration to Britain by Robert Winder, New edition, Abacus 2013

The story of the way Britain has been settled and influenced by foreign people is as old as the land itself. In this original, important and inspiring book, Robert Winder tells of the remarkable migrations that have founded and defined a nation. Read more

Census 2011: familiar themes

Dr Jill Rutter takes a look at censuses past and present. Read more

Stories old and new: migration and identity in the UK heritage sector

Mary Stevens’ report on mythologies about migration in Britain. Read more

A moving story: is there a case for a major museum of migration in the UK?

Also published by IPPR, this report concludes that there is a case for a new Migration Museum . . . Read more

Audio

Annual Lecture 2024 – Sunder Katwala asks: ‘Does the history of migration shape its future?’
For our 2024 Annual Lecture, Sunder Katwala, Director of the thinktank British Future, asked us to consider: if we engage and educate people about the history of immigration, how much can we hope or expect to change how we talk and think about its future? Listen and read the full transcript of Sunder’s lecture. Read more
Oxford Education Podcast – Migration: Enrich Your KS3 History Curriculum
Aaron Wilkes and Shalina Patel discuss how effective teaching of migration can enrich your Key Stage 3 curriculum, with insights from Liberty Melly and Tia Shah from the learning team at the Migration Museum. What do students gain from studying migration at KS3? How has historical scholarship on migration changed in recent years? What is the impact of new research on how we should teach the topic? Read more
Lewisham: About Face by EVEWRIGHT – audio and video
“This installation is my own unique perspective on growing up in Lewisham as the child of parents from the Windrush generation, reflecting on the places and the forgotten heroes of Lewisham’s past and present that have shaped my life. In the audio clips below, I share my memories of family and growing up in Lewisham, my… Read more

Video

Artist Spotlight: Mariam Hussein
Exploring the realities of settlement, Mariam Hussein’s Lo Lo Lo Leesh (لو لو لو ليش ) (2024) highlights the balance between navigating complex citizenship paperwork and finding a sense of home through Syrian cinema. Go behind the scenes with Mariam Hussein as she explores what it means to build a life in a new city.… Read more
Artist Spotlight: Jiro Osuga
Jiro Osuga’s Departures (2023) imagines a borderless universe where people and ideas intermingle creatively. Listen to Jiro as he reflects on how his experiences as a migrant shape the themes in his work, and hear a bit about his fascination with airports — from the planes to the people and procedures. Video by Felix Ursell.… Read more
Artist Spotlight: Becky-Dee Trevenen
Becky-Dee Trevenen’s Worlds Apart and Pieced bring personal and historical stories of migration to life, from hopeful journeys to lives uprooted by force. Join Becky-Dee Trevenen as she reflects on the creative process and stories behind her works Worlds Apart and Pieced, and read on to see how her family’s experiences of emigration shaped these… Read more