Caroline R Nagel University of Colorado, Boulder The doctoral dissertation research will examine a series of questions which relate to identity, politics and place in an immigrant receiving society using the example of Arab immigrants in London. The project will seek to learn the relationship between group identity and political action, and the ways group identities shape the adaptation process in a host society. In addition the research attempts to depict new geographies which are created from group identity patterns and political struggles. An initial premise is that immigrant identity reflects social relations which are rooted in constructions of gender, race and nation. Space is seen as critical in the analysis and is an integral component of identity, political struggle, and immigrant integration. Secondary data on the immigrant community in London will be gathered and organized temporally and structurally. In addition primary data will be gathered through semi-structured interviews which will explore linkages between context, identity and political actions in order to reveal the spatial components of identity politics. The result will be a deeper understanding of the ways in which space, identity and politics are woven together in the adaptation process of an immigrant community.
