Book 17

From Farms to Foundries

by Kevin Searle

Published 27 November 2009
Yemenis constitute the oldest group of Muslim settlers in Britain. They laboured in Britain's seafaring towns in the early twentieth century, and played an essential, yet little-known, role in her industrial heartlands after World War II. This book explores the intersections of the themes of racism, class and resistance in the life-stories of Yemeni former steelworkers in Sheffield, Britain's major steel-producing city. These main biographical themes are examined within the broader context of post-war British history. The work utilises a life-story approach, and is dependent on the narratives of the former steelworkers, thus giving an original and highly readable perspective on racism and resistance in post-war Britain.