In this ground-breaking book, the author draws extensively on archival material and theortical advances in the social sciences literature on citizenship and migration. Citizenship and Immigration in Postwar Britain examines the transformation since 1945 of the UK from a homogeneous into a multicultural society. Rejecting a dominant strain of sociological and historical inquiry emphasising state racism, Hansen argues that politicians and civil servants were overall liberal relative to a public, to which it owed its office, and pursued policies that were rational for any liberal democratic politician. He explains the trajectory of British migration and nationality policy - its exceptional liberality until the 1950s, its exceptional restrictiveness after then, and its tortured and seemingly racist definition of citizenship. The combined effect of a 1948 imperial definition of citizenship (adopted independently of immigration) and a primary commitment to migration from the Old Dominions, locked British politicians into a series of policy choices resulting in a migration and nationality regime that was not racist in intention, but was racist in effect. In the context of a liberal elite and an illiberal public, Britain's current restrictive migration policies result not from the faling of its policy-makers but those of its institutions.
Reviews
Provides a comprehensive coverage of immigration policy since the Second World War that offers a new and interesting angle on state actions. It is an informative and inspiring piece of writing that will greatly benefit anyone with an interest in the history and outcome of British immigration policy. * Journal of Ethnic and Migration Studies *
The book provides a new and revealing framework from which to discuss immigration and its effect on policy decisions. * Journal of Ethnic and Migration Studies *
Interesting and thought-provoking book ... an interesting journey through the changes in government and public attitude that finally resulted in the restrictive immigration policies that the United Kingdom employs today ... intellectually stimulating. * Journal of Ethnic and Migration Studies *
This is a rich and extremely well researched book. The author's scholarly reconstruction of the history of British policy towards foreigners has important implications not just for our understanding of the UK, but for the politics of immigration more generally ... a convincing reworking of recent British history and one of the most sophisticated accounts of the politics of immigration in print. * Journal of Refugee Studies *
For its minute and exhaustive discussion of the letter and implications of changes in British nationality law from 1948 the work is a valuable resource. * Twentieth Century British History *
Hansen has produced an immensely important book, which no historian of race and immigration will be able to ignore. The sheer range of sources from which he draws makes this an essential guide to the secondary historical and theoretical literature on immigration. More importantly, it offers a challenging and nuanced re-interpretation of British post-war policy. Many will disagree with it; but Hansen has set an extremely high standard in terms of scholarship and lucidity, which it is to be hoped his critics will emulate. * Contemporary British History *
This important and well-argued book provides the best-documented account so far of the evolution of British immigration and citizenship policy since the Second World War. * Richard Thurlow, Times Literary Supplement *



Book Information
ISBN 9780199240548
Author Randall Hansen
Format Paperback
Page Count 316
Imprint Oxford University Press
Publisher Oxford University Press
Weight(grams) 467g
Dimensions(mm) 235mm * 156mm * 17mm