The final stages of preparing this book for publication were completed against the backdrop of the bombings in London in July 2005 in an atmosphere of fear of difference, and an increase in racial harassment and abuse.

The media focus is on the extent to which people should be allowed to have different views and come from different backgrounds and still be entitled to be ‘citizens’. Moreover, research interest in ethnicity continues to mushroom, with religion moving to centre stage. In the current climate it is more important than ever for researchers to be inclusive with whom they work. If we want to ensure that we do not, in effect, silence sections of society it is essential that we continue to have debates around the range of research approaches that can be applied and how views can be obtained in practice so that we can examine differences and similarities across groups of people.

The chapters in this book demonstrate the breadth and depth of research that is possible with refugee people seeking asylum. They show the benefits and challenges for policy developers and service providers when researchers, refugee people seeking asylum and practitioners discuss their different views.