It may be that closer examination will show either that Nigerian immigrants have to a substantial degree succeeded in assimilating into British society, or that while they have failed to do so overall, the schools and churches have had a largely positive influence in that direction, and thus bear little or no blame for the failure. The purpose of the study is to gauge the effectiveness or otherwise of British schools and churches as instruments of assimilation. The final thesis statement may appropriately be recast in a way reflective of the actual findings.
The outline of the body of this study is as follows. Chapter II presents a general survey of the British experience of immigration. Chapter III outlines the history and scale of Nigerian immigration into Britain. Chapter IV presents a general picture of Nigerian immigrants in Britain; their living patterns (segregated or integrated), their work opportunities or lack thereof, and their general relations with the rest of the British population. Chapter V outlines the character of the family in Nigeria in traditional and modern times, and the family experience of immigrant Nigerians.
Chapter VI and VII examine, respectively, the Nigerian immigrants' school and church experiences. Each has a generally similar structure, beginning with an examination of schools or churches in Nigeria, then an examination of schools or churches in Britain, then proceeding to an analysis of the specific impact of British schools or churches on Nigerian immigrants. Chapter VIII considers the Nigerian immigrants' experience of assimilation or lack of assimilation. Chapter IX examines the character, experience, and role of Nigerian British "returnees" to Nigeria, and Chapter X examines the experience of Nigerian immigrants to the United States. Chapter XI presents the general conclusion of this study.
This chapter traces the general history of immigration and race relations in Brita...