Northerners in London: Englishness, place and mobility

magined geographies of England throughout recorded
history, this project is the first major study on the way
in which this divide both shapes, and is shaped by,
understandings of Englishness, place and mobility.
Through life story work with Northerners living in
London, I will examine the continuing relevance of the
North-South divide to the identities and lived
experiences of individual migrants. The long-term
privileging of London over the North has led to growing
inequalities between the two regions and the
stigmatisation of the North and Northern identities.
These processes have generated migration circuits
which, for example, see Northern graduates moving to
London in search of work. By focusing on transregional
migrancy, I aim to challenge problematic equations
between national identity and immobility and to further
understandings of England as a 'diaspora space'. The
significance of migration across the North-South divide
will be the subject of life story interviews with a diverse
group of Northerners who have migrated to London,
and with members of their friend and family networks
still in the North. Using discourse analysis, I will explore
how notions of North-South cultural and spatial
divisions figure in individuals' mobilities, identities and
intimate relationships. As well as developing
understandings of the North-South divide and the
production of cultural and spatial distinctions, I aim to
contribute to policy debates on the relationship
between London and the North and the interplay of
local and national identities. In evaluating the
significance of the North-South divide to the identities
and experiences of Northerners who have migrated to
London, this project will advance understandings of
how issues of migration and locality play into the
formation of national identities and cultural distinctions
in post-industrial societies.