Britain & Latin America in the 20th Century: Towards Visibility - the Latin American Community in London with Cathy McIlwaine

Canning House in conjunction with the Institute of Latin American Studies is pleased to announce a new series of talks taking a look at Britain’s relationship with Latin America throughout the 20th Century. This is the third instalment of the series.

Despite a long history of relations between Latin America and London through trade, diplomacy and exile, only relatively recently has the movement of Latin Americans to the city grown in large numbers. This presentation explores the nature of these recent flows and the growth of the Latin American community in London. Empirically, it draws on research conducted over the last decade with a particular focus on two surveys (one with over 1000 Latin Americans from a wide range of different nationalities and the other with 400 Latin Americans who have  migrated from another European country to the UK), together with analysis of the 2011 census and a series of in-depth interviews. It outlines the nature of the construction of the community in London as well as the various ways they have negotiated political, economic and social visibility and invisibility in the city with specific reference to their experiences in the labour market and the ways in which ethnic categorisation has evolved over time.

Cathy McIlwaine is a Professor of Geography at Queen Mary, University of London. Her research is rooted in development geography but also works on transnational migration and on North-South linkages. Her early work in the Global South focused on development processes in relation to gender, poverty and household livelihoods, together with subsequent work on urban violence and civil society, with the bulk of this focus on Latin America.

This event will take place in the Court Room at Senate House.