New Geographies of Migration and Multiculture: Degrees of Intimacy between English Villagers and Eastern European Migrants in Rural Worcestershire

Analysing the relationship between whiteness and Englishness, looking at processes of social inclusion and exclusion in the countryside, the migration of Eastern European workers to the countryside and rural discourses of community and multi-culture. hereas multiculturalism has been steadily 'downgraded' on the policy agenda both in the UK and other parts of Europe during the 2000s, social life at neighbourhood level is increasingly characterised by an everyday negotiation of categorical boundaries such as migration histories, religions, migrant statuses, and socio-economic disparities. This series will focus on emerging empirical research and methodologies that engage with such localised, intercultural processes. The presentations are based on findings from a range of different settings, including London, northern England, the Netherlands and Germany, and also focusing on new 'zones of encounter' that go beyond the traditional inner-city perspective.