Who cares about Britishness? : a global view of the national identity debate / Vron Ware.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Ware, Vron.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

National characteristics, British.

National characteristics, British--Public opinion.

Citizenship--Great Britain--Public opinion.

Citizenship.

Immigrants--Great Britain--Attitudes.

Immigrants.

Public opinion.

Great Britain--Foreign public opinion.

Great Britain.

Physical Description:

x, 242 pages ; 22 cm

Place of Publication:

London : Arcadia, 2007.

Summary:

Looking beyond the confines of the British political agenda, Ware gives voice to the views of people who have settled in the UK or who live in countries once colonised by Britain. These seldom-heard perspectives of a younger generation of women and men raise compelling questions of identity, diversity and democracy.

Travelling to five countries that were once part of Britain's empire, the author brings the distinct voices of new British citizens and migrants into conversation with people she meets along the way. How do other plural societies manage their debates about what it means to belong to and identify with the nation? How important is national identity anyway, in a world where so many people claim allegiance to more than one country? These are among the many urgent issues this book seeks to address.

Without losing sight of what the UK looks like, both from within and from a distance, Ware questions the importance of talking about national identity and belonging in an insecure world undergoing rapid but uneven change.

Contents:

Who Cares? 1

Chapter 1 London Calling 7

Chapter 2 Majority Report 48

Chapter 3 Memory Loss 95

Chapter 4 Multiplicity 141

Chapter 5 Organise, Don't Agonise 182.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references (pages 233-236) and index.

ISBN:

9781905147588

1905147589

OCLC:

123798948