'BLACK AFRICANS' IN BRITAIN: INTEGRATION OR SEGREGATION?

• Start date: 01 April 2008
• End date: 30 September 2009

"Black Africans" are an increasingly important group in terms of their numbers - some 485,000 were enumerated in Great Britain in the 2001 Census - and rapid growth rate. In London (where 80 per cent live), the population of 387,700 in 2001 is projected to increase to 512,000 in 2011 and 581,600 in 2021, a 50 per cent increase over two decades. Amongst refugees and asylum seekers, the Congo, Somalia, and Zimbabwe are now major contributor countries, many in these communities encountering significant language difficulties on settling in the UK, substantial poverty, and financial and other stresses related to being in dislocated, transnational families.

Against this background this project will use data from the 2001 Census, government surveys, NHS, and local education authorities to address the following questions: 'To what extent are "Black Africans" integrating with wider British society in terms of demographic profile, socio-economic position, patterns of residence, and civic engagement?' 'What are the current trends and likely patterns to emerge?' 'How can UK policy makers and practitioners address their needs?' The research will endeavour to focus on the substantial diversity of "Black Africans" in terms of ethnicity, national origins and identity, religion, language, channels of migration, and socio-economic position.