Rashida Bibi on decolonising history and migration by CoDE (Centre on the Dynamics of Ethnicity)

University of Manchester Research Associate Rashida Bibi joins Oldham residents Roger Ivens, a Local Studies Officer, and Mohammed Ashraf who moved to the town from Pakistan in the 1950s.

They discuss migration from South Asia to former mill towns, such as Oldham, a key example of Britain’s long history of contact with other cultures, how this has shaped the nations story, and the importance of oral history interviews as a way to mark and preserve this important piece of history.

Inspired by projects such as ‘Our migration Story’ (https://www.ourmigrationstory.org.uk/) and ‘Beyond Banglatown’ (https://beyondbanglatown.org.uk/), this oral history project aims to collect stories of migration, which can be used to contribute to understandings of Britain's diverse BME history within classrooms.

This project focuses particularly on the migration of citizens of the former commonwealth to Britain which remains an important junction in the history of migration and Empire.