This Land of Promise : A History of Refugees and Exiles in Britain

‘Important, comprehensive, and superbly researched.All the more urgent at the present time’ BART VAN ES 'A terrific, clear-eyed and balanced history that cuts through today’s toxic debates' DAILY TELEGRAPH How have those who arrived on Britain’s shores shaped its history? Refugees seeking to reach Britain today often face perilous journeys, impossible bureaucracy and acidic public opinion.But this hasn’t always been the way. For most of our history, Great Britain cherished its outward image as a safe haven for those displaced by religious persecution, political violence or economic crisis - an island of stability in the midst of a violent world. In This Land of Promise, migration scholar Matthew Lockwood overturns many popular modern-day misconceptions about Britain’s history of immigration.Exiles and refugees have been not only a constant presence in Britain across the centuries but also intrinsic to shaping Britain as it is today.This is a profoundly moving and illuminating history,