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This module explores how London, as a global capital and (post)colonial metropolis, has been conceived as a city of migration through public history. The module sees students engage with the multiple genres and contexts which have made London’s history as a migrant city visible, urgent and relevant to contemporary communities and populations, from museums and walking tours, to novels and films, to digital histories. We examine how London’s migrant past, of both immigration and emigration, has been inscribed upon and produced through engagement with the urban space, investigating how the city’s historical geographies have been used to generate meaning in the present. We focus on the creation of public histories from experiences which may not leave an archival trace, which are ephemeral or spread across transnational spaces. We will grapple with the tensions of migration as a ‘usable’ and ‘consumable’ past as it remains a live political issue, the ethics of doing public history with precarious or marginalised communities, and managing demands for histories of ‘good’ immigrants or successful multi-culture. Using London as our classroom, students will critically engage with place-based public history case studies, learn from leading practitioners and develop understanding of the major debates of the field.