ABSTRACT
What meaning did the process of migration have for the migrants themselves? What were their motivations? How was the decision made and how was the transition experienced? Several explanations for migration were outlined in Chapter 1 and whilst it is accepted that structural conditions channelled and enabled migration, a focus solely on these social forces ignores the personal and familial strategies and decisions, the gendered dimensions and the mental maps along which people moved. This chapter will examine men’s narratives of colonialism, views and expectations of Britain, the decision making process and the arrival into Britain. This will highlight the importance of habitus and the lived body as key concepts to understanding the subjective reality of the migratory experience. Furthermore, an analysis of the motivations and perception of the migration is imperative to understanding their subsequent experiences of living in Britain.
