ICAR

Algerians

Algerians in the UK

Written by Dr Michael Collyer in April 2003 and last updated in May 2004.

The Algerian population in Britain is poorly known and little understood in the wider British community. Until the early 1990s, there were relatively few Algerians in the UK. Over the last ten years, particularly since the escalation of the conflict in Algeria from 1992 onwards, the number of Algerians has grown significantly. Even though this population remains small compared to more established migrant and refugee groups in the UK, it is extremely diverse. Developing events in Algeria have provoked the departure of a number of very different groups of people, many of whom are represented in the population resident in the UK.

Although there are a number of Algerian associations in the UK, these are not necessarily representative of the population as a whole, and although bonds of solidarity between individuals are extremely strong, there is little sense of a unified ‘community’. Indeed, some sections of the Algerian population are characterised more by mutual suspicion than by solidarity. This concern is not helped by the widespread ignorance of the situation in Algeria amongst the UK population as a whole. In general Algerians in Britain, particularly recent arrivals, are extremely isolated since many of them lack both a cohesive community and a sympathetic host population.

About the author

Michael Collyer currently holds a Nuffield Foundation New Career Development Fellowship at the Sussex Centre for Migration Research, University of Sussex. He recently completed his DPhil, also at Sussex. His thesis set out to explain the movement of Algerians to the UK. Before starting his DPhil he spent four years as a youth worker in Marseilles, working closely with groups of North African origin and particularly refugees from the Algerian conflict. Click here to contact the author by email.

Acknowledgements

The author would like to thank the staff at the Algerian Refugee Council, the staff of the Algerian Education Association and the many other individuals who assisted with the research on which this report is based. Some of this material was presented to an audience at the Society for Algerian Studies and feedback resulting from that paper was gratefully received. ICAR would also like to thank Alison Pargeter, Research Fellow at the International Policy Institute, King’s College London, for her comments on final drafts of this guide. Much of the research was undertaken during the author’s DPhil fieldwork that was supported by an ESRC postgraduate training award (no. R00429834348) and further investigation has been supported by a Nuffield Foundation New Career Development fellowship.

Last Updated: 25/02/09

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