Decolonization, Immigration, and Identity in the UK & Ireland

Vocabulary flashcards covering key concepts, laws, events, and figures related to decolonization, post-war immigration, racism, and identity in Britain and Ireland.

Decolonization

The process by which a colony gains independence from its colonizing power and becomes an autonomous nation.

‘Hot Phase’ of Decolonization

Core period from the late 1940s to the 1970s, when most British colonies achieved independence.

Statute of Westminster (1931)

Law that created the Commonwealth of Nations, granting dominion status and independence to Canada, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, and the Irish Free State.

Wind of Change Speech (1960)

Harold Macmillan’s address to South Africa’s parliament signaling Britain’s readiness to grant African colonies independence.

Suez Crisis (1956)

British-French-Israeli invasion of Egypt after Nasser nationalized the Suez Canal; U.S. pressure forced withdrawal, marking Britain’s imperial decline.

Empire Windrush

Troopship that arrived at Tilbury in 1948 carrying 492 Caribbean migrants, symbolizing post-war Commonwealth immigration.

Windrush Generation

People from the Caribbean who migrated to Britain between 1948 and the early 1970s to help rebuild the post-war economy.

British Nationality Act (1948)

Granted all Commonwealth citizens the status of ‘British subjects,’ giving them free entry and settlement rights in the UK.

Commonwealth Immigrants Act (1962)

First major restriction on free entry; required work vouchers for Commonwealth citizens, ending automatic right of settlement.

Commonwealth Immigrants Act (1968)

Tightened controls further by linking entry to a parent or grandparent born in the UK.

Immigration Act (1971)

Introduced ‘right of abode’ only for those born in Britain or with a UK-born parent or grandparent—shift from ius soli to ius sanguinis.

British Nationality Act (1981)

Redefined British citizenship entirely on ancestry (ius sanguinis) and severed most automatic claims by people born abroad in the Commonwealth.

Ius Soli

Citizenship principle based on birthplace.

Ius Sanguinis

Citizenship principle based on parentage or bloodline.

Powellism

Anti-immigration ideology linked to Conservative MP Enoch Powell, epitomized by his 1968 ‘Rivers of Blood’ speech.

‘Rivers of Blood’ Speech

Enoch Powell’s 1968 speech warning of social conflict due to immigration; intensified racist sentiment in Britain.

Colour Bar

Informal or legal discrimination against non-white people in employment, housing, and services.

Race Relations Act (1968)

Legislation that made racial discrimination in housing, jobs, and public services illegal in Britain.

1958 Notting Hill & Nottingham Riots

White-led attacks on Black communities, exposing post-war racial tensions in Britain.

Brixton Riots (1981)

Uprisings in London sparked by police ‘sus’ stop-and-search powers, highlighting institutional racism.

Institutional Racism

Systemic policies and practices within institutions that produce racial inequalities, even without overt prejudice.

Thatcherism

Margaret Thatcher’s neoliberal agenda: free-market policies, weakened unions, reduced state services, and tougher immigration stance.

Nigel Farage

Long-time UKIP leader who championed anti-EU and anti-immigration policies, central to the Brexit campaign.

UK Independence Party (UKIP)

Right-wing populist party founded in 1993 advocating withdrawal from the EU and strict immigration controls.

Brexit Referendum (2016)

Vote in which 51.9 % chose to leave the EU, influenced by debates over sovereignty and immigration.

Vote Leave Campaign

Official pro-Brexit group that argued for ‘taking back control’ of borders and reallocating £350 million per week to the NHS.

Culture Wars (UK)

Polarization over identity, immigration, and equality issues, often aligning with Leave vs. Remain positions.

White Man’s War

British WWI policy that limited Black West Indian soldiers to labor roles, reflecting racial hierarchies within the empire.

King’s African Rifles

Colonial regiment of African soldiers who fought for Britain during WWI, primarily in African theatres.

Windrush Scandal

Revelation (2018) that Caribbean-born legal residents were wrongly detained or deported due to hostile-environment policies.

Andrea Levy

British author of Jamaican heritage; her works, especially ‘Small Island,’ explore Windrush experiences and colonial legacies.

Small Island (2004)

Levy’s novel with four narrators (Queenie, Bernard, Gilbert, Hortense) depicting WWII and post-war migration trauma.

Belatedness (Trauma Theory)

Concept that second-generation voices articulate traumas that the first generation cannot verbalize directly.

Institutional vs. Personally Mediated Racism

Framework by Camara Jones: structural practices vs. individual acts of prejudice; both shape racial outcomes.

Suez Canal

Strategic waterway linking the Mediterranean and Red Seas; its nationalization by Egypt triggered the 1956 crisis.

Right of Abode

Legal status granting unconditional right to live in the UK, crucial in post-1971 immigration law.

Race Riots vs. Uprisings

1958 events labeled ‘riots’ were white attacks; 1981 ‘uprisings’ were Black responses to institutional oppression.

Post-War Labour Shortage

Severe lack of workers in Britain after WWII, leading the government to encourage Commonwealth immigration.

Salman Rushdie’s ‘New Empire Within’

1982 essay arguing Britain reproduced colonial attitudes toward its immigrant minorities.