The Windrush Generation and British Citizenship Policy

Abstract

Abstract This chapter describes the post-World War II period when West Indians/Caribbeans moved from British colonies to the “mother country” to fill labor demands of the imperial state and pursue better lives. It narrates the arrival of Black and Brown West Indians on the Empire Windrush in 1948 as evidence of the entanglements of the colonies and the metropole. The chapter describes how the migrants felt as “settlers” within the British Empire to which they thought they belonged. They were reminded of their subordinate status within the Empire and categorized as immigrants, additionally confronting structural racism and xenophobia. The chapter further explores alternative conceptualizations of citizenship for those affected by racecraft in the UK’s “hostile environment” by drawing upon the narratives of the “Windrush Generation” and British-born immigrant children. It concludes that reconceptualization positively reimagines citizenship and belonging rather than marginalizing racialized migrants.