The sixth edition of British Cultural Identities assesses the degree to which being British impinges on the identity of the many people who belong to contemporary Britain.
Twenty-first-century British identity is analysed through the various and changing ways in which people who live in the UK position themselves and are positioned by their culture. Using examples from contemporary and popular culture, each chapter covers one of eight intersecting themes including places and peoples, education, work and leisure, gender, sex and the family, youth culture and style, class and politics, ethnicity and language, religion, and heritage. This new edition is fully updated to include the latest information on Britain in the 2020s. It explains the influences that shape British identities and outlines the important current debates stemming from cultural, social, and political change. Considering contemporary touchstones and recent national statistics, the contributors place modern British life in the context of the activities, events, and society found in the UK across recent decades.
The book is the perfect introductory text for students of contemporary British society, containing photographs, tables, timelines, discussion questions, cultural examples and suggestions for further resources at the end of each chapter.
1. Places and peoples: region and nation
Peter Childs
2. Education, work and leisure
Mike Storry
3. Gender, sex, and the family
Roberta Garrett
4. Youth culture and style
Jo Croft
5. Class and politics
Frank McDonough
6. Ethnicity and language
Gerry Smyth
7. Religion
Edmund Cusick and Mike Storry
8. Heritage
Edmund Cusick and Mike Storry
Biography
Mike Storry was Senior Lecturer in English at Liverpool John Moores University and is now a freelance writer. He co-edited the Encyclopaedia of Contemporary British Culture (Routledge 1999) with Peter Childs.
Peter Childs is Professor of English at Newman University, Birmingham, and author of many books, including Modernism (3rd edition, Routledge 2016).
"Cleverly intertwining a look at the past, always necessary when dealing with culture and identity, with a lucid and accessible view of contemporary Britain, British Cultural Identities’ new edition is a key book to understand the complex relation between being British and having any other cultural identity in Britain. It is a much needed and updated book, covering a wide range of issues. Hence, an excellent choice to grasp the diversity of Britain in the 21st century."
Ana Clara Birrento, University of Évora, Portugal.
"British Cultural Identities offers profound insights into the multifaceted nature of British culture – ranging from medieval Arthurian legends to contemporary phenomena like Brexit, Black Lives Matter and climate change protests. By presenting a multitude of cultural practices and narratives in an engaging, easily accessible way, the authors encourage their readers to question stereotypes and develop nuanced conceptions of cultural identities. The updated edition presents an excellent textbook for undergraduate students and teacher trainees."
Isabell Große, Leipzig University, Germany.
