The University of Southampton
University of Southampton Institutional Repository

Colin Holmes and the development of migrant and anti-migrant historiography

Colin Holmes and the development of migrant and anti-migrant historiography
Colin Holmes and the development of migrant and anti-migrant historiography
Richard Evans has warned of counter-history and the dangers it represents, often reflecting the work of reactionaries who nostalgically long for a lost England. It is perhaps no coincidence that some of the authors he has in mind, such as Niall Ferguson, have been prominent in their anti-migrant views, writing against the invasion of Britain and/or Europe by undesirables since the Second World War. The chapter presents a different type of counterfactualism: that in the field of historiography, what if–academically speaking–Colin Holmes had not existed? In the study of migration to Britain, and responses to it, would it have been necessary, to paraphrase Voltaire, to invent him? There are historical sociologists such as John Solomos who accept the importance of past attitudes and praxis in understanding more recent developments. These, however, are exceptional individuals working against the dominant forces of their disciplines.
22-32
Taylor & Francis
Kushner, Tony
958c42e3-4290-4cc4-9d7e-85c1cdff143b
Craig-Norton, Jennifer
Hoffmann, Christhard
Kushner, Tony
Kushner, Tony
958c42e3-4290-4cc4-9d7e-85c1cdff143b
Craig-Norton, Jennifer
Hoffmann, Christhard
Kushner, Tony

Kushner, Tony (2018) Colin Holmes and the development of migrant and anti-migrant historiography. In, Craig-Norton, Jennifer, Hoffmann, Christhard and Kushner, Tony (eds.) Migrant Britain: Histories and Historiographies: Essays in Honour of Colin Holmes. 1st ed. London. Taylor & Francis, pp. 22-32. (doi:10.4324/9781315159959).

Record type: Book Section

Abstract

Richard Evans has warned of counter-history and the dangers it represents, often reflecting the work of reactionaries who nostalgically long for a lost England. It is perhaps no coincidence that some of the authors he has in mind, such as Niall Ferguson, have been prominent in their anti-migrant views, writing against the invasion of Britain and/or Europe by undesirables since the Second World War. The chapter presents a different type of counterfactualism: that in the field of historiography, what if–academically speaking–Colin Holmes had not existed? In the study of migration to Britain, and responses to it, would it have been necessary, to paraphrase Voltaire, to invent him? There are historical sociologists such as John Solomos who accept the importance of past attitudes and praxis in understanding more recent developments. These, however, are exceptional individuals working against the dominant forces of their disciplines.

This record has no associated files available for download.

More information

Published date: 25 July 2018

Identifiers

Local EPrints ID: 427909
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/427909
PURE UUID: 5eb5516e-dcdf-4079-9a38-ef165db5e442

Catalogue record

Date deposited: 04 Feb 2019 17:30
Last modified: 05 Jun 2024 20:02

Export record

Altmetrics

Contributors

Author: Tony Kushner
Editor: Jennifer Craig-Norton
Editor: Christhard Hoffmann
Editor: Tony Kushner

Download statistics

Downloads from ePrints over the past year. Other digital versions may also be available to download e.g. from the publisher's website.

View more statistics

Atom RSS 1.0 RSS 2.0

Contact ePrints Soton: eprints@soton.ac.uk

ePrints Soton supports OAI 2.0 with a base URL of http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/cgi/oai2

This repository has been built using EPrints software, developed at the University of Southampton, but available to everyone to use.

We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. If you continue without changing your settings, we will assume that you are happy to receive cookies on the University of Southampton website.

×