We're kicking things off with an article covering the research interests of me, Dr Simon Peplow - your 'History Head Start' course organiser! I research and teach about race, ethnicity, and migration histories of modern Britain. I have recently written a book called Race and Riots in Thatcher's Britain, which looks at the motivations behind and responses to the 'riots' that swept around England in the early 1980s. To get us going, I have selected the below article by Jack Crangle and posed some questions for you to respond to as you read through the article. I hope you find it interesting!

Jack Crangle - 'Left to Fend for Themselves': Immigration, Race Relations and the State in Twentieth Century Northern Ireland.

Access this article here: https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/02619288.2018.1433534 

1. Using just a few sentences for this answer, can you summarise the argument of this article? 
2. Why does this article argue that it is important to consider regions like Northern Ireland when thinking about the history of ‘race relations’ in the UK? 
3. What have been some of the long-term effects of the idea that ‘Northern Ireland was exclusively white’? 
4. This article uses case studies of the Indian and Chinese communities in Northern Ireland. What are the main similarities/differences between the experiences of these two communities? 
5. Why were authorities in Northern Ireland ‘so keen to exclude themselves from race relations law’? 
6. What sources are used to develop this article’s argument? How convincing do you think they are? 
7. Do you have any criticisms of this article? 

General Information:

Remember: academic journal articles can be difficult and complicated pieces of writing, It may take some time to read through and don’t be surprised if you need to have a few goes at it. This is normal!

To help you, use the list of questions to guide your thinking as you read the article. You should be thinking about what has been written, to assess for yourself whether it makes sense, whether it is backed up with supporting evidence, and whether you agree with it.

Tips for Reading
History Articles:

• 'Reading for Historical Research', Dr Rosie Doyle, University of Warwick
• Study Skills: Critical Reading
• Academic Skills: Reading and Note-Taking
• Student Blogs: What Is Critical Thinking? (Written by a Warwick Law student, this blog post contains some good points about thinking critically about journal articles!)