Somalis in London's East End: A community striving for recognition

Abstract

Abstract Even though they are socially and economically visible in numerous British urban centres, as yet there is no published sociological research on contemporary communities from Arab League member states settled in Britain. This is problematic from the point of view of highlighting the needs of a number of these communities, of which the Somalis in London's East End are a particular example. Though they rank among the oldest settled migrant groups in Britain's dockland areas, Somalis continue to struggle for a fairer share of scarce resources. This paper traces the pattern of Somali settlement in the Tower Hamlets area of London's East End. It attempts to analyse some of the impediments which appear to stand in the way of more effective community organisation in the Somalis’ quest for recognition as an ethnic community in need.