Abstract

The city of London is celebrated as one of the most ethnically diverse capitals in the world, and has been a magnet of migration since its origin. Looking to London steps into the maelstrom of current and recent wars and the resulting migration crisis, telling the stories of women refugees who have made it to London to seek safe haven among the city's Kurdish, Somali, Tamil, Sudanese and Syrian communities, under the watchful eye of the security services.

Cynthia Cockburn brings her lively and lucid style to a world in which hatred is being countered by compassion, at a moment when the nationalist, anti-immigrant sentiment expressed in Brexit is being challenged by a warm-hearted 'refugees welcome' movement bringing community activists into partnership with London borough councils for the reception and rehoming of victims of war.

This book is essential reading for all who want to think more deeply about the meaning of asylum.
'A profoundly humanising and moving book that inspires and provides hope'
Nadje Al-Ali, author of Iraqi Women: Untold Stories from 1948 to the Present (Zed Books, 2007)
'Makes one want to hop on a red bus to explore each of the city's vibrant neighbourhoods - to immerse oneself in the local lives of politically engaged women in a way that enables one to grasp the lasting effects of wartime violence'
Cynthia Enloe, author of Bananas, Beaches and Bases (University of California Press, 2014)
'Now, more than ever, it is vital to support women who have crossed borders. By listening to women from across the world who have made their homes in London, Cynthia Cockburn brings us stories that we need to hear in order to challenge divisions and build solidarity'
Natasha Walter author of The New Feminism (Virago, 1998) and founder of Women for Refugee Women.