ABSTRACT
Migration is one of the most pressing issues in the twenty-first century, constantly in the media and at the forefront of political discourse as a 'problem'. Balance is often in short supply and the focus on 'now' has been at the expense of exploring changes and continuities with regard to human movement in both the deep and recent past. No historian has been more important in querying such assumptions and developing the field of migrant and anti-migrant studies with detailed historical research than Colin Holmes. It would be misleading to state that Colin Holmes created British migrant historiography. In the discussion with Alan Dein, Colin Holmes clearly emerges and identifies as an outsider and a challenger of accepted historical and societal truths. Whether within or beyond academia, he is politically and intellectually committed to the less privileged. The chapter also presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in this book.
