"Manineti and Marsham Street" - An investigation into belonging and inclusion amongst Ethiopian migrants in the United Kingdom

The question of belonging and acceptance in the United Kingdom has become an increasingly politicised arena culminating in the implementation of highly exclusionary policies to further delineate those who belong and those who do not. Since 2010, the UK Government's decision to invoke policies under the hostile environment have worked to challenge the ability of migrants and migrant communities to take up space in British society. These policies, envisioned as a tool of deterring unwanted migration, have produced restrictive and discriminative approaches towards migrants evidenced recently through the expulsion of individuals of the Windrush Generation, the steady increase in revoking citizenship, continued deportation flights and the drive to make life in the UK as unbearable as possible for those deemed illegitimate and unwelcome.

Understanding the effect, if any, national immigration policies have in shaping a migrant's sense of space and belonging in society is a question relevant to current dynamics in the UK and internationally. Through an analysis of migration policy and its intersection with the in-country experience of recent and settled migrants, I will attempt to understand if and how restrictive hostile migration policies have impacted Ethiopian migrant's sense of identity and belonging within the UK. As immigration policy becomes more exclusionary and limiting, appreciating how this trend impacts on the migrant's perception of belonging in society is important to our understanding of self and identity.

This research will attempt to look at an often under researched population in the UK - Ethiopians - and attempt to appreciate the individual's perspective of belonging and inclusion under shifting policy stances. By researching the lived experiences of migration and settlement in the UK for Ethiopian migrants - this research will look at how navigating the immigration system in the UK at various standpoints has impacted on the integration and sense of belonging for this migrant group.