From Sylhet to Spitalfields: Book Launch and Discussion
Faced with institutional discrimination in council housing and the existential threat of the National Front, hundreds of Bengali families in 1970s East London decided to squat, taking over entire streets and estates. With the support of the Race Today collective, squatters formed the Bengali Housing Action Group (BHAG), which organised support and vigilante groups to keep the community safe.
Using oral history interviews and archival research, From Sylhet to Spitalfields looks at the Bengali community’s contribution to this little-known episode of East End history, and how it can inform present-day housing struggles.
Author Shabna Begum will discuss the book and the hidden history of the Bengali squatters’ movement with a Bengali squatter activist from the 1970s, Tribune Magazine industrial correspondent Taj Ali, and Lawrence Wishart Books Editor Jumanah Younis.
Practical information
- This event is free to attend, but tickets need to be booked in advance. Online ticket sales will close two hours prior to the event starting.
- Our events and courses are designed for over-18s only. Our special collections and archives, which feature heavily in our programme, include explicit content and our evening events are aimed at an adult audience, with a licensed bar in operation.
Image: Race Today, courtesy of Darcus Howe Legacy and the George Padmore Institute
Need to Know
Meet the Author
Shabna Begum
Shabna Begum is Head of Research at the Runnymede Trust, the UK’s leading race equality think tank. In her work she has worked on numerous projects including on income inequality, housing and problem debt. She is also Honorary Research Fellow at Queen Mary University London, in the School of Geography where she conducted her doctoral research. Prior to this, Shabna was a teacher for over two decades in London secondary schools.
Dates and Times
From Sylhet to Spitalfields: Book Launch and Discussion
, 7:15
