This website accompanies Professor Shannon McSheffrey‘s research project on the Evil May Day riot in London in 1517. Although immigration is often framed, especially by its opponents, as a new phenomenon that disrupts the “traditional” stability and homogeneity of host societies, both migration and hostility to newcomers are as old as humanity itself. This project will explore in detail an historic episode of explosive violence towards immigrants, a riot in London 500 years ago. Taking apart the many factors that led to this long-ago riot – and seeing how seemingly unrelated issues are connected to one another – will help us understand how complex such xenophobic violence is.