Author: Madawi Al-Rasheed
Publisher/Publication: The Edwin Mellen Press Ltd
DOI/ISBN: 9780773482517
Based on an in-depth study of one of the oldest Middle Eastern immigrant communities in London, the Assyrians, this volume examines previous literature on ethnicity and its revival, challenging established perceptions of the concept. The Assyrians are a Christian minority within the London Iraqi minority and as such represent an interesting case of an ethnic group trying construct their difference in the host society. Assyrian ethnicity is a process which involves the production of narratives defining themselves as people and a set of strategies enforcing this definition. The presence or absence of the myth of return among refugee groups is important for understanding not only the relationship with the homeland, but also the relationship with the host country.