Englishness is an idea, a consciousness and a proto-nationalism. There
is no English state within the United Kingdom, no English passport,
Parliament or currency, nor any immediate prospect of any. That does
not mean that England lacks an identity, although English nationalism,
or at least a distinctive nationalism, has been partly forced upon the
English by the development in the British Isles of strident
nationalisms that have contested Britishness, and with much success.So
what is happening to the United Kingdom, and, within that, to England?
Jeremy Black looks to the past in order to understand the historical
identity of England, and what it means for English nationalism today,
in a post-Brexit world. The extent to which English nationalism has a
"deep history" is a matter of controversy, although he seeks to
demonstrate that it exists, from 'the Old English State' onwards,
predating the Norman invasion.He also questions whether the standard
modern critique of politically partisan, or un-British, Englishness as
"extreme" is merited? Indeed, is hostility to "England," whatever that
is supposed to mean, the principal driver of resurgent English
nationalism?The Brexit referendum of 2016 appeared to have cancelled
out Scottish and other nationalisms as an issue, but, in practice, it
made Englishness a topic of particular interest and urgency, as set
out in this short history of its origins and evolution.
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Produktdetaljer
ISBN
9781787380837
Publisert
2020
Utgiver
Vendor
Hurst
Språk
Product language
Engelsk
Format
Product format
Digital bok
Forfatter