This presentation will examine the responses of Caribbean High Commissioners, government representatives, legal specialists and scholars on the restrictions imposed on immigration from the Caribbean to the United Kingdom from the early 1960s until the present day.
Drawing upon the initial findings from oral history interviews conducted as part of the project ‘The Windrush Scandal in a Transnational and Commonwealth Context’, the talk will explore how prominent issues of migration, citizenship and forcible return were in UK-Caribbean diplomatic relations, including the extent to which West Indian diplomats formed strategic alliances with Caribbean community groups and activists. Questions from the audience will take place after the talk.
An event part of the UCL Americas seminar series The Americas and the World, with kind support from the UCL Institute of Advanced Studies (IAS).
Dr Eve Hayes de Kalaf
Research Fellow at Institute of Historical Research, University of London
Dr Eve Hayes de Kalaf is currently working on the AHRC-funded project ‘The Windrush Scandal in a Transnational and Commonwealth Context’. She holds a Ph.D. from the University of Aberdeen, an MA from UCL Institute of the Americas and a PGDip from the Universidad Católica Santo Domingo. Her work focuses specifically on access to citizenship to examine how states can manufacture, block or deny access to citizens to their documentation. Her widely acclaimed book Legal Identity, Race and Belonging in the Dominican Republic: From Citizen to Foreigner – endorsed by the Pulitzer Prize-winning author Junot DÃaz – was released last year and is part of the Anthem Series in Citizenship and National Identities.Â