Introduction

This introduction presents an overview of the concepts discussed in the subsequent chapters of this book. The book outlines the key features and controversies of immigration within Europe over recent years. It explains that Matt Scott looks at the way migrants have been socially constructed in Europe. The book considers Western Europe in general and undertakes particular studies of the UK and France. It undertakes an investigation into how Islam in Europe has been reconstructed since the waves of Muslim migration in the 1970s and 1980s. The book assesses the evidence that seems to indicate that inequalities are increasing in cities across Europe. Evidence from Stockholm to Paris and London to Istanbul demonstrates the growth in socio-spatial inequalities and segregation. It explores the social impact and the social problems arising out of the changing relationship between work, employment, unemployment and mediating technologies. The book concerns a critical appraisal of the dynamic between early childhood and schooling by Blundell and Abegglen.