Nigerian London: re-mapping space and ethnicity in superdiverse cities

This paper explores the idea of ‘superdiversity’ at the city level through two churches with different approaches to architectural visibility: the hypervisible Universal Church of the Kingdom of God and the invisible Igbo Catholic Church, both in North London, guide our exploration of invisible Nigerian London. Although Nigerians have lived in London for over 200 years, they live beneath the radar of policy and public recognition rather than as a vital and visible element of superdiversity. This paper argues that we can trace the journeys composing Nigerian London in the deep textures of the city thus making it visible, but this involves re-mapping space and ethnicity. It argues that visibility is vital in generating more open forms of urban encounter and, ultimately, citizenship

From conflict to co-operation between Muslims and local authorities in a Brussels borough: Schaerbeek

Schaerbeek (a borough of Brussels) is an ideal case-study of how the presence of a Muslim population is managed in Belgium. The relational model that prevailed until 1994, when the local coalition changed, was marked by the municipal administration's hostility towards Muslims and more especially the mosque associations. It has since gradually given way to a new model that is characterised by working together for true recognition of the Muslims' freedom of worship and appreciation of their cultural roots. The development of a constituency of immigrant background and a Muslim elite in both politics and the mosque associations has played a major role in this change. However, it seems that the new language adopted by the local administration, which is aimed at getting Muslim residents to become active local citizens, is not free from an election-oriented hidden agenda. These developments are studied by means of a comparison of the periods before and after 1994 in which we analyse how the borough's authorities perceive(d) Islam and Muslims and cope(d) with their presence and how the Muslims themselves have integrated local life. © 2005 Taylor & Francis