Part of
‘Walking the City’ TCCE Annual Walking Weekend 2015

Bringing to life the history of the shared South Asian and Jewish presence in London’s East End.

Walk Guides:
Dr Rehana Ahmed, Queen Mary, University of London
Dr Nadia Valman, Queen Mary, University of London
Dr Sumita Mukherjee, King’s College London

Duration: about 120 minutes (20 minute talk followed by 90 minute walk)

While many assume that migration to London’s East End happened sequentially, with Asians arriving in the area only after the Second World War following the dispersal of Jewish communities, there were in fact many Asians resident in the East End from the Victorian period onwards. In this walk we will recover the material traces of these two migrant communities in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, and imagine their encounters and interactions in the streets of Whitechapel. Drawing on a range of written accounts – from fiction to oral histories to newspaper reports – it will provide a window into the lives of ayahs and anarchists, sailors and seamstresses, and reveal how migrant East Enders lived, worked, worshipped, and mobilised for their rights as British citizens in this iconic space.

The walk will start with a 20 minute talk at Raven Row Gallery (Education room) Artillery Lane, and end at Great Synagogue, Fieldgate Street.

Important note:
Please be advised that:

• As this walk will involve entering the foyer of a mosque, attendees are asked to dress modestly: avoid see-through, revealing or low-cut clothing; shorts are not allowed; skirts and dresses should reach below the knees.
• Raven Row Gallery is not accessible for wheelchair users.

Booking is essential, so please BOOK NOW.

Image credit: “Synagogue mosque gruntzooki” by Cory Doctorow (gruntzooki) from London, UK – Flickr. Licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons