Britanska Kultura i Civilizacija

8/12/2019 Britanska Kultura i Civilizacija

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Cultural identitiesA book about British cultural identities immediately raises a number of

questions: Whose Britain? Whose culture? Whose identity? Do a majority

of people in the UK any more think of themselves in terms of bein British

any!ay?

British Cultural Identities is aimed at people interested in these questions"Timeline#$ %oman invasion

&'(( )orman invasion

&*&+ ,ana -arta ./reat -harter0

&+'1 Accession of 2enry 3444

&++5 Accession of 6li7abeth 4

&(&( Death of 8hakespeare

&(#*9+& 6nlish -ivil War

&5&+ Wellinton at Waterloo

&1'& Death of 3ictoria

&1#' -hurchill becomes ,

&1+* Accession of 6li7abeth 44

&11; Death of rincess Diana

*''* Deaths of rincess ,araret

and the


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for eCample= fe! people !ould attribute any sinificance to the t!elfth of

Auust= the openin day of the rouseshootin season" ,oreover television=

!hich didnGt feature for 6liot= !ould appear from @able '"& to be the

main cultural bondin aent bet!een British people"

@he term FBritishG is itself contentious" 4n recent years= partly as a

response to the devolution of political po!er to 8cotland= Wales= and4reland= there has been much questionin of !hat it means to be British"

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Introduction 34f !e are all British= then !hy should people feel a need to revert to their

previous FnationalitiesG? And if others in the UK have po!er devolved to

them= !hat becomes of the formerly dominant 6nlish?4n eCaminin nationality !e should add the caveat that Britishness is

often used instead of 6nlishness" n William /ladstoneGs tombstone= he

is described as Frime ,inister of 6nlandG 9 inorin Wales= 8cotland= and

4relandH eople from Wales= 8cotland= and )orthern 4reland believe that

makin 6nlishness synonymous !ith Britishness erases their identity" 4f

British and 6nlish are the same= there is no room !ithin the term for other

nationalities !ho live in the British 4sles" %" 8" @homas= the Welsh poet and

cleryman= said FBritain does not eCist for me" 4t is an abstraction forced

on the Welsh people"G Eor him it !as just an aspect of imperialist domination

and he !anted no part of it"

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4 British Cultural IdentitiesTABLE 0.1 Subjects of conversation with friends and family, 1991Subject Percentage of people who ever

talk about subject

Advertisin *

Bi business *

Brinin up children *(

-lothes and fashion &1

-ost of livin #$6ducation *'

/ardenin &(

Ia! and order &(

)eihbours or !orkmates *&

oliticians 5

%eliion (

8port *+

@elevision prorammes #5

@he overnment &1

@rade unions &

)e!spaper articles &12ealth and !elfare services &5


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Unemployment &(

ersonal health *&

)one of the aboveJdonGt kno! $

Source: TOM Attitudes to Advertising Surve= &11&

@he debate has broadened out into questionin !hether !e are

any!ay determined by nation any loner" 8ome commentators suest thatit is easier to define British cultural identity by lookin outside than inside"

@he arument oes that Britain is just another constituent of ,arshall

,cIuhanGs F/lobal 3illaeG 9 the product of various !orld influences=

rather than the outcome of homero!n social developments" Doubtless

there is some truth in this" ne has only to see the popularity of

,cDonaldGs= American branded clothin= or the prevalence of overseas

restaurant cuisines" .Britain has eiht thousands 4ndian restaurants"0 @his

vie! should certainly be borne in mind" DonGt !e live in a lobal culture=

donGt !e enjoy influences from many eoraphical areas and isnGt identity

different for everyone? 8ome people are influenced by the fact of their ae=

by the fact that they live in a bi city= are !ell or badly off financially" 4nshort hasnGt nationality been overridden by FculturalG identity? @his book

seeks to address those questions"

-ultural identity is somethin !hich is partly imposed by oneGs backround

and partly chosen by people" All people have a number of influences

bearin on them= from both )ature and )urture" @hat is= they inherit their

ethnicity= physical abilities= intellience and so on= in lare measure from parents"

But many other FenvironmentalG factors affect their development: for

eCample family= reion= schoolin= reliion= music= etc" determine their eCperience"

@o a deree they form their o!n cultural identities by selection from

a rane of options" 8o for eCample they are Beatles fans or ,anchester United

supporters= or o to opera or !atch films" @hey conform !ith or react aainst

the values of their parents and accept or reject societyGs eCpectations of them"

@hese influences= absorbed !ittinly or un!ittinly= determine identity"

We have used the plural FidentitiesG in our title to make the point that

no sinle mould fits British people" @he population is diverse in all sorts of

!ays and this is one of the strenths of the culture !hich has evolved over

the past t!o thousands years" ,any races and continents have contributed

to its development" Eor eCample most people donGt kno! that in %oman

Britain a arrison of African soldiers= under 8eptimus 8ervius= uarded

2adrianGs Wall" ,odern Britain contains numerous elements= often in

tension !ith one another= but more usually complementary" Eor eCamplemany people !ho else!here have come to blo!s 9 2indus and ,uslims

rotestants and -atholics /reeks and @urks 9 in Britain have for the most

part found !ays of !orkin toether in peaceful coeCistence" @heir likin

for stability= oodquality education= healthcare and robust economic

conditions has overridden their ideoloical differences" ne of the aims of

our study is to identify elements of British culture !hich have brouht

about this benin effect"

British Cultural Identities describes ho! people in Britain see themselves"

4t is concerned !ith the culture they enerate and are in turn formed

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Introduction 7FIGURE 0.1 Shops or stalls selling national goods and souvenirs from

(a !ngland, (b Scotland, (c "ales or (d Ireland.c0

.d0

by" F-ultureG is meant in its broad sense as shared eCperience 9 that !hich

comes out of a dynamic miC of aes= races= reions= seCes= income levels

and interests" @he identities !hich are produced by this culture are personally

and collectively fluid" Because !hat !e are eCaminin is compleC and

chanin= our conclusions !ill be tentative and eneral" ur constant is the

fact that the people !ho live on the islands are the !ay they are= partly

because they live there"

4n conductin our study= !e !ill look at specific current political=

social= and cultural events" @his !ill enable us to ive basic backroundinformation on Britain: !ho is in po!er= !hat is the racial miC= the si7e of

the population= the key institutions= the main sports= reliions and so on"

We !ill include some succinct contrasts !ith the past to fill out that backround"

%ecent events chosen for eCamination reveal some basic truths

about Britain in the political= social= and cultural arenas and lead us to

emphasise the compleCity of British society and the need for careful

analysis"

Institutional BritainA list of traditional pillars of mainstream Britain !ould identify the key

FofficialG institutions as arliament a leal system !hich enforces the rule

of la! an educational system of ood quality the Anlican -hurch the

Bank of 6nland the 8tock 6Cchane the BB-" @hese are all elements of

a stable society= but eCamination of them doesnGt really bein to tell the

story of the culture= for !hich they are prerequisites" @here are several other

FinstitutionsG !hich are equally or even more influential in peopleGs lives=

and !hose influence= thouh FunofficialG= is !idespread" @here is 2enley

%oyal %eatta .ro!in0 cricket at Iords in Iondon Badminton 2orse

@rials yachtin at -o!es ruby at @!ickenham the /lastonbury pop

festival the 6dinburh Eestival the )ottin 2ill -arnival" )one of these

events is FinstitutionalG but each fiures larely on individualsG psycholoical

calendars and forms part of the cultural menu from !hich some Britishidentities are chosen" @hey are supplemented !ith numerous other sportin

and social entertainments: soccer matches= reyhound and horse racin=

darts tournaments= snooker matches= @o!ns!omenGs /uilds" @hese are all

seen by their fans as indispensable to their individual cultural landscapes"

@his FsemiofficialG British cultural scene has a further supportin

infrastructure of selfreulatin oranisations !hich serve to channel the

talent !hich in another culture !ould not find an outlet" @hese include the

Eootball and Amateur Athletic Associations= private art alleries promotin

the likes of Damien 2irst= @racey 6min and ,artin -reed !ith their sheep

in formaldehyde= bed !ith used condoms= or The !ights "oing On and

Off publishin houses makin the 2arry otter phenomenon possible filmand video production companies= !hich create soaps such asBrookside and


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#olloaks the advertisin and desin industries the music industry= from

small recordin studios to major artist recruitin houses such as 6,4 and

2,3" @hese are part of BritainGs cultural fabric yet they have no official

status and no state fundin"

Popular ulture

ne consequence of eCaminin the nation throuh its official institutionsis that lare cultural areas !ill al!ays be uneCplored" 6thnic communities

!ill have no place" @eenae fashions= clubbin= comics= pubs= around !hich

many peopleGs lives revolve= !onGt et a look in" @he Britain covered in the

myriad specialinterest maa7ines !ill not feature" A more comprehensive

picture of contemporary British culture is likely to emere if !e eCamine

the eCperience of the man or !oman in the street" By and lare= he or she

is eCposed to the culture !hich has !elled up from belo!" @his eCperience

may be read throuh elements of popular culture such as music= maa7ines=

television and film= eCamples of !hich are offered throuhout this book"

opular culture= !hich comes from belo! .soaps= tabloids= Freality

televisionG such asBig Brother0= can be more useful for our analysis thanhih culture .opera= theatre0= because it reflects !idespread= particularly

youthful= public taste and thus enables us to eCplore BritonsG psycholoy=

motivation and aspirations" 2ih culture= on the other hand= is imposed

from above via school curricula= and deliberately inores life as lived

eCperience= and contemporary social trends" @he most vibrant cultural

development in Britain comes from the marins not from the centre" @he

follo!in for eCample have become incorporated into the mainstream: in

music= hip hop and rap in fashion= saris and kimonos in style= dreadlocks=

bodypiercin and tattooin in literature= novels by 2anif Kureishi or

adie 8mith= poems by Benjamin ephaniah"

!"oolin#-oncentration on popular culture also enables us to keep pace more easily

!ith the rapid chanes in society" Eor eCample there have been sinificant

shifts in patterns of education" @he feepayin private schools have al!ays

had a disproportionately sinificant influence throuhout British society

larely throuh their reinforcement of class structures" Ambitious members

of ethnic minorities see Britain as a place !here Fthe old school tieG matters

and= faced !ith latent racial prejudice= see their !ay for!ard as throuh

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Introduction $private education" @his is leadin to profound cultural chanes in one of

BritainGs dominant media for social advancement" @here has al!ays been

an ethnicminority presence in such schools= but pupils !ere usually sons

of po!erful overseas dynasties" Eor eCample= in Billy BunterGs school

/reyfriars= in the &1$'sMagnet comic= there !as an 4ndian boy= 2urree

amset %am 8inh= !ho !as the )abob of Bhanipur" @he featurin in

popular culture of such fiures has undoubtedly contributed to the

mystique of the reat public schools= such as 6ton and 2arro!= !hoseprevailin ethos !as nevertheless predominantly !hite= Anlo8aCon=


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rotestant= 6stablishment" @oday= ho!ever= the private sector contains a

much hiher ethnic element than state schools" @his element is FdomesticG

rather than overseas and leads to the reater interation into the corridors

of po!er of British society for some ethnic Britons"

ther factors in the current cultural transformation are: the reneotiation

of the !hole concept of the family the ne! technoloy: computers=mobile phones= the internet= D3Ds" eopleGs daily lives are adaptin to

shifts in career patterns= ne! skills requirements from employers and ne!

entertainments" @he majority of those !ho attend university today for

eCample are takin courses !hich didnGt eCist ten years ao" @here are

deree courses in fashion= tourism= nursin= film= media= football= and pop

music studies= to name a fe!" Eor a conservative country such as Britain

that is a fundamental chane"

%et"o&olo#'4n this period of fluC= !here the only constant is chane= !hat it means to

be British today is markedly different from !hat it meant ten years ao"

6ndurin stereotypes are not a reat deal of help" Eor eCample a &111 pollof youn 6uropeans associated five elements !ith Britain: 8hakespeare=

Iondon= the BB-= @he Beatles= and the %oyal Eamily" @his is very out of

date" Any sinle snapshot of British identity !ill also be blurred" 8o !hat

!e have chosen to do is to look at a number of recent studies of the !ay

people live= and to see ho! helpful they are in eCplainin the !ay our

society !orks" A number of sources have recently offered their particular

take on areas !hich they think are important" We shall look later at four

specific eCamples" Eirstly= every year The Sunda Ti$espublishes a list of

the thousand richest people in Britain" @his is one !ay of makin a judement

about the people !ho live here" 4t assumes that their !ealth reflects

not only their commitment and !ork but also their aspirations= their values=

and their outlook" 8econdly= in ,arch *''& The Observer 8unday ne!spaper

published a study FBritain UncoveredG dealin !ith Fthe !ay !e live

no!: ,oney= !ork= love= seC= crime= youth= race= reliion= education and

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10 British Cultural IdentitiesinoranceG" 4t contains an eclectic miC of thins happenin on the cultural

scene !hich represent sinificant trends" @hirdly= -hannel + producedAn A%& of Britishness !hich !as another attempt to pin do!n the essence

of contemporary British culture" We !ill= fourthly= look at a list of

F


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in &15$" 8o today= ostensibly= F)e!G Iabour= !hich came into po!er in

&11; on a !ave of euphoria= appears to be very firmly in control and to

have the broad support of the people" 2o!ever= a better indication of ho!

people feel about their country and their politicians miht be the fact that

in both the *''& and the &11; elections= t!o sinleissue mavericks=

standin as 4ndependents= !ere elected !ithout the benefit of any elaborateparty machine" @hese !ere: in &11; ,artin Bell in *''& %ichard

@aylor" Bell= a former !ar correspondent= stood as an 4ndependent on a

FdecencyG manifesto= and defeated the sittin @ory , )eil 2amilton= !ho

had become embroiled in accusations of slea7e" @aylor= a retired hospital

consultant standin on the sinle issue of the do!nsi7in of his local

Kidderminster hospital= unseated a Iabour junior minister by &;=($' votesH

Both Bell and @aylor countered elaborate= sophisticated and eCpensive

political machines= durin electoral landslides" ,ean!hile youn voters are

so disaffected from the !hole political process that= to try to secure their

votes= the parties resorted to teCtin them on their mobile phones durin

the last election"-onclusions !e can dra! from this are that= althouh Iabour is in

po!er= and althouh arliament is soverein and elected by the people=

British voters are still !ary of havin their lives determined by professional

politicians and are prepared to drop them instantly !hen opportunity

knocks" @his sinals a lonstandin distrust= by British people= of professionals

.Disraeli !as BritainGs first fulltime rime ,inister= only in as late

as &5(50 and professionalism .%uby Union retained its amateursstatus

only= until the &11's0" eople have in the past preferred to be overned by

the Fifted amateurG or the aristocrat !hose inherited !ealth made him

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Introduction 11.rarely her0 less likely to be corruptible" )o!= !hen professionalism is more

accepted= they are still prepared to elect people !ho operate !ithout the

benefits and constraints of a party machine"

!oiet'4n the social arena= !hen the


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fair play" 4t favours the vie!s and behaviour of the individual over those

of the herd" -onsequently people resent attempts to manipulate and orchestrate

their private vie!s" @hey !ant to accord themselves and others

freedom= and that includes the freedom of privacy !hen necessary"

(ulture

@he buildin of the ,illennium Dome at /reen!ich !as an attempt by theovernment to sho!case aspects of Britain !hich it felt !ere important" 4t

!as also undoubtedly meant to lend authority to the overnment !hich

produced it 9 a precedent set by the /reat 6Chibition of &5+& at the -rystal

alace in IondonGs 2yde ark" @ony Blair called the Dome Fa triumph of

confidence over cynicismG" @he overnment spent L& billion of taCpayersG

money erectin a tent at /reen!ich and fillin it !ith amusements" @here

!ere several F7onesG includin a FEaith oneG and a FBody oneG !hich !ere

meant to inform and to entertain"

2o!ever= from the beinnin the project !as a disaster" 4t !as

intended to represent Britain= but the people !erenGt consulted and didnGt

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1) British Cultural Identitiesfeel they had any stake in it" @aret visitor fiures of &* million materiali7ed

as +"# million" eople contrast the Dome !ith the 6den roject in

-orn!all .a hue biodiversity project under eodesic domes0= !hich thrives

and !hich started as a community project" eople sa! the Dome as a

further eCample of money bein syphoned from the reions to be spent in

Iondon" @hey didnGt like bein manaed into visitin it= and= the more they

!ere hectored by overnment ministers to attend= the more reluctant

they !ere to o"

@he lo! attendance fiures illustrate t!o thins: firstly= the miCture

of elements chosen to be celebrated !as a!ry .the Eaith one !as partly

financed by the subsequently disraced 2induja brothers0= secondly= people

do not like to be told= least of all by overnment= !hat they should like=

or !hat they should do" @his rejection of the authority of overnment is a

major aspect of British cultural identity" eople !ill not be bullied" .@he

son F%ule BritanniaG contains the line: FBritons never never never shall be

slavesG"0 @he failure of the Dome project illustrated the po!erlessness of

overnment in a democracy"!port@akin pride in the sportin achievements of oneGs nation is clearly a

sinificant indicator of oneGs attachment to oneGs homeland" @hat this

persists= and even increases= despite political devolution to the reions and

BritainGs interation !ithin 6urope= is a conundrum !hich !ill be eCamined

later on" .@he)ail Telegraph still reports 6urope under FEorein

)e!sG three decades after Britain became a member of the 6uropean

6conomic -ommunity"0

Britain is a country !here interest in sport has al!ays flourished"

@raditionally its sports stars have been lionised: W" /" /race the nineteenthcentury

cricketer %oer Bannister= the first fourminute miler Iinford-hristie= the sprinter= and so on" Britons particularly !elcome the success


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of sportin heroes in football= or soccer= as it is kno!n" @he ame of soccer

is central to BritainGs vie! of itself and is supported fanatically by people

of both seCes= from all social classes= aes= and reions= so for eCample any

soccer match bet!een 6nland and /ermany assumes more than sportin

importance" @here is national lee in rememberin 6nlandGs #9* defeat of

/ermany in &1((" @he commentatorGs F@hey think itGs all over " " " it isno!G became a famous Sun ne!spaper headline after that match .and is

the name of a popular BB- sports qui7 proramme0" After 6nlandGs +9&

victory over /ermany in *''& .follo!in a &9' defeat at Wembley nine

months earlier0 all sorts of enies ood and bad came out of the bottle"

6ven people !ho donGt normally follo! football !ere eCultant" @his !as

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Introduction 13reflected on television and radio !here ne!sreaders= male and female= did

not even try to appear dispassionate" @he socalled Fblackeded voiceG=reserved for describin the normal disasters of the ne!s= disappeared in

the reportin" 8port here proved cohesive and positive" @he fact that one

section of British society= rampain 6nlish hoolians= !ent round

,unich after the match chantin FthereGs only one Bomber 2arrisG !ent

larely unnoticed in the British media" verniht there !as a shift

from middleclass apprehension about the prospective behaviour of

British hoolianfans overseas= to a display of triumphalism !here Fa fe!

hotheadsG must not be allo!ed to detract from the very real victory !hich

took place"

*enop"o+ia@he !ay in !hich ne!s is reported reveals much about British readers

and vie!ers" @he coverae of refuees and asylum seekers for eCample

has revealed sharp differences in British attitudes to foreiners and in

enerally accepted notions of !hat it means to be British" Eormer @ory

arty leader William 2aue applied the phrase Fbous asylum seekersG to

refuees= presumably in the belief that it !ould endear him to his follo!ers"

4n practice it raised the aner of opponents and supporters alike" Eor the

former it !as evidence of @ory racism= for the latter it failed to distance

him from the lack of compassion of his predecessorbutone= ,araret

@hatcher"

6vents like this can enable a latent nationalism to arise" @his happensinstantly= and ne!spapers can rally support aainst an FenemyG overniht"

4n &15& the Sun orchestrated hatred for Fthe AriesG over the Ealklands

conflict" ,ost Sun readers !ere una!are !here the Ealkland 4slands !ere=

but they rose to the invitation to be Cenophobic any!ay" @hat 4raqi leader

8addam 2ussein= the 8erb 8lobodan ,ilosevic= or imbab!ean rime

,inister %obert ,uabe could equally be vilified at a momentGs notice indicates

a Cenophobia al!ays ready to be inited in certain sections of the

British public" 6ven the *''& %oyal 3ariety erformance featured a comedian

!ho centred his act around the British hatred of the ErenchH Dislike

of other nationalities is not far beneath the psyche particularly of some of

the older eneration" ,ean!hile the youn and the educated look for theirvalues to!ards 6urope and the U8A"


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@he above eCamples from current affairs sho! ho! compleC a

country Britain is" 4t is difficult to make eneralisations about because

Britain is an amalam of paradoCes" 4t is enerally conformist and conservative

but is also in a constant state of chane" 4t is overned by arliament=

but the peopleGs voice is stron" 4t has a monarch but many people are

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14 British Cultural Identitiesrepublicans" 4t enerates a lot of popular and much FhihG culture= but also

philistinism and hoolianism" -onstituency of its population also is in fluC"

@he majority of the population is -aucasian= but ("5 per cent of people are

no! from ethnic minorities 9 predominantly from the -aribbean= Africa=

and the 4ndian subcontinent" 4t is hard to embrace such contradictions and

tensions" 4t is much easier to talk about FBritainsG= or for that matter the

F4dentitiesG of our title"

Postmo&ernism4t miht also be arued that modern Britain is no different from any other

developed state" 4n a postmodern !orld of surfaces= public relations= stylistic

fusions= and so on= ne! urban developments are the same every!here"

,anchesterGs @rafford -entre shoppin mall= for eCample= is a collae of

lobal culture" 4t has tro$pe l*oueil art!ork= /reek statuary= Art Deco

mouldins= Whistleresque murals= 3enetian frescos= a mockup of the deck=

deckfurniture= and lifeboats of the Titanic .presumably desined to drede

up imaes of upperclass travel= as !ell as of the teenae= heartthrob film

Titanic= from shoppersG unconscious0" @here is also a fibrelass statue of

8ammy Davis rH @his shoppin mall and others like it= steeped in lobal

FcultureG .or kitsch?0= are no! firmly entrenched on the cultural map for

British youn and old alike" Are these people FconsumersG defined by the

products they are made to buy= or Britons !ho assert their multicultural

identities and individuate themselves by shoppin? @hat is !here our

debate lies"

%e&ia,ore important perhaps than lobal influences is the role played in British

life by homero!n media" 6verythin is no! played out on television"

,oral and ethical dilemmas= from ay rihts and cosmetic surery to

euthanasia and abortion= are illustrated and aired in soap operas" 6veryone

in the public eye= all oranisations= and corporate Britain have .ublic0%.elations0 people to help to manae information flo!" oliticians are

forced to resin in time for The Si+ O*clock ,ews" ,inisters must act

quickly in order to seem decisive= rather than !isely= havin considered in

depth" @he medium dominates the messae" )obody in Britain can claim

to be unaffected by the barrae of noise comin from these eCternal influences"

2o!ever= people do discriminate bet!een !hat they tolerate= !hat

they accept= and !hat elements of the culture .or counterculture0 they

choose for themselves as a buffer aainst the outside !orld"

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$&&&Introduction 15


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Lan#ua#eWe should also be careful !ith lanuae" 4n any discussion of nationalism=

identity= or current affairs= lanuae is never FinnocentG" @he choice of

!ords reveals the underlyin outlook of the speaker" 8o for eCample the

!ord FforeinG in 6nlish is much more hostile than the -trangerJestrangeiro

found in most romance lanuaes or than the /erman ausl.nder" IatentBritish Cenophobia is revealed in the offensive tabloid eCpression Fohnny

EoreinerG" ur chapter FIanuae and 6thnicityG says a lot more about

this= but for no! think about the impact on national relations and culture

of the follo!in uses of lanuae: @o !elsh is to cheat or renee to scotch

is to th!art= to squash= to prevent an 4rish lanyard is an untidy rope" 4n

other !ords the names of the three FsubsidiaryG nations in the British 4sles

have neative connotations in the lanuae of the dominant one" @hus

national prejudice is encoded in the 6nlish lanuae"

Bearin these points in mind= !e !ill no! turn to eCamine the approaches

of the four recent studies referred to earlier= each of !hich uses a list or

key !ords to identify salient characteristics of British people"T"e Sunday Times ri" listEinancial status is clearly one determinant of cultural outlook" @he Sunda

Ti$es evidently believes that= as E" 8cott Eit7erald= said: Fthe rich are differentG"

Wealth affects culture because= even if they are philistines individually=

the rich collectively tend to be patrons of the arts" Eor decades ,aurice

8aatchi has been buyin the !ork of contemporary British artists" As often

as not the rich are distinuished by the flamboyant arishness of their taste=

rather than by their discernment" %uby WaC conducted vie!ers around the

Duchess of MorkGs FdistinctiveG home in a famous television proramme"

@heir sense of identity is determined by the fact that they are rich and therefore

insulated from the constraints and inconveniences of the poor 9 !hich

is the rest of the country" ,any of the latter !ill be public servants 9 teachers=

social !orkers= postal employees= !orkers in the civil service 9 people

defined by their usefulness" 2o!ever the rich= as a roup= !ould rarely claim

that their chief aim is public service" 8o= in the Sunda Ti$es richest thousand

list !e see fortyone people !ho made their money in fashion companies=

includin familiar hihstreet names such as oseph= Erench -onnection

.no! E-UK0 and %ussell N Bromley" @he aim of these companies is the continued

creation of !ealth for the benefit of the families !hich o!n them and

of !aes for the people !ho !ork for them= rather than public service"

;5

1

#'&&

&

*

$&&&

1, British Cultural Identities4n *''&= after the dotcom bubble burst= old money continued to do

rather !ell" @he lando!nin Duke of Westminster .$'' acres of ,ayfair

and Belravia0 !as the richest man in Britain" But that does not mean that

the rise of BritainGs meritocracy is falterin" 4n *''& there !as another dropin the proportion on the list of those !ho inherited their !ealth" nly *#&


12/68

of the thousand in the list inherited their fortunes" @his is the smallest

proportion since the list !as first dra!n up in &155" @hen about ;' per

cent of the t!o hundred entries had inherited their money" @his represents

a sinificant shift in a culture in !hich inherited !ealth plays such a major

part" Einancial chane fuels the process of social and cultural chane" @he

Sunda Ti$esGs focus on money reveals very little about the rich peopleprofiled or the lives of the mass of the population ho!ever= the fact that

most of those on the list are Fhousehold namesG indicates that they are part

of a social community= as !ell as a purely financial British hierarchy"

The Observer- Britain unoere&Whereas the Sunda Ti$esGs list offers a snapshot of a sement of British

society !hose primary motivation and identity is fiscal= The ObserverGs

FBritain UncoveredG supplement takes a FsocioloicalG approach to contemporary

culture and covers a broader spectrum" 4t contains a survey of public

attitudes .(1 per cent are aainst sameseC marriae the most popular

6uropean country is 8pain only &1 per cent of people !ould not take out

private healthcare or educate their children privately= if they had plenty ofmoney0 and behaviour .$; per cent !ould keep a !allet they found !ith

L*'' in it0" 4t also looks at peopleGs activities across the ae rane from

deprived teenaers to pensioners attitudes to !ork dru culture education

and finally eccentricity" @!o sections deal !ith the spiritual state of

the nation 9 broadly speakin= the decline of institutional reliion in favour

of Fhouse churchesG and the appeal to youn ,uslims of traditional 4slam"

As a barometer of Fthe health of the nation=G the supplement is quite

hopeful" 8ociety is chanin= but the fiCed standards from !hich people are

strayin hover in the backround" Eor eCample the journalist Burhan Wa7ir

complains about the severity of his o!n upbrinin in akistan= but reports

that youn British ,uslims are manain to combine the practice of their

reliion !ith the freedom to o clubbin if they !ant to" @he film'ast

Is 'ast .&1110 hihlihts similar dilemmas" @he section on eccentricity

suests the impossibility of pieonholin people" ,iranda 8a!yer= author

of a book on suburbia=Park and /ide .*''&0= meets a pensioner !ho is

feelin !obbly Fbecause heGd taken t!o 6sG .6cstasy tablets0" 4n her vie!=

eccentricity is !hat keeps the culture vibrant and makes Britain interestin=

because unpredictable"

5

1

#'&&&

*

$&&&

Introduction 17The ObserverGs approach is tryin to present a snapshot of the real

Britain as opposed to that of the tourist brochures" 4t is partly limited by

factors surroundin any inquiry based on questionnaires"


13/68

4n *''&= 4an %ussell produced a proramme calledAn A%& of Britishness

for -hannel +" Usin t!entysiC headins= the prorammemakers looked

at various aspects of contemporary Britain" @heir list of topics !as random

and eclectic= and the tone flippant= !ith= for eCample= taCi drivers from the

)orth and 8outh voicin prejudices about either side of the divide"

2o!ever= most vie!ers of a proramme intended for home consumptioncould relate to the items raised" @he list is reproduced in @able '"* and

miht be used for a classroom brainstormin eCercise" ,any of these items

are obvious= but a fe! require eCplanation" Deepfried ,ars Bars and fluorescent

reen peas are northern food delicacies Britons are evidently the

hihestper capita consumers of jisa! pu77les there is an attempt to introduce

the kilt as a fashion arment for men the pedestal !atercloset !as

#'&&

&

*

$&&&

1/ British Cultural IdentitiesTABLE 0.)#n #$% of BritishnessAlcohol )orth98outh divide

Bino lder people

-ockney antomime

Dome


14/68


15/68


16/68

him" 4t !ould be nice to think that Britain supplies a model of diversity

!hich could be eCported to other postindustrial democracies" 2o!ever=

many people ask the question: ho! lon can Britain remain an oasis of

diversity and tolerance of difference in the face of the homoenisin forces

of lobalisation?

$&&&Introduction )1eroesA pramatic !ay of lookin at British identity and of eCaminin the

aspirations of ordinary people is to look at the kind of contemporary heroes

they have created" @hese heroes reveal a lot about the people !ho have

created them" @hey reflect ho! people !ould like to be themselves= or !hat

they see as admirable in others" As a roup= heroes represent the values of

their culture" 8inificantly this cynical ae has thro!n up many antiheroes

or stae villains= such as F)astyG )ick Bateman from Big Brother= and Anne

%obinson from The 1eakest !ink" revious enerations tended to admire

6stablishment fiures or politicians= such as -hurchill or ,acmillan= buttoday sports people tend to predominate" Eor eCample 8ally /unnell= the

hurdler= is also !ell kno!n outside her sport" thers !ell kno!n enouh

outside their sports to appear in television advertisements are: Erank Bruno

the boCer= /ary Iineker and 3innie ones the footballers= 8teve %edrave

the lympic ro!er and 8teve Davis the snooker player" 8teve %edrave !on

five lympic medals for ro!in at successive lympic ames" 4n *''& it

took him around siC hours to run the Iondon ,arathon because so many

!ell!ishers impeded his proress" As a national hero he embodied virtues

of doedness and determination= ood humour and stability !hich even

the ,@3 eneration of slackers can evidently relate to"

2eroes of the day are decided much more by the youn than they

!ere hitherto= and consequently television and media personalities such as

-arol 3orderman and -hris 6vans tend to feature= as !ell as those from

sports= business= and commerce" 8o no!adays the rane of heroes is much

!ider" 4n order to eCamine this phenomenon= !e !ill consider in more

detail a small number of select prominent eCamples"

Priness ianaAn unlikely hero 9 or heroine 9 !as rincess Diana" 8he !as born into

privilee= the dauhter of 6arl 8pencer and= after her fairytale marriae to

rince -harles= had several palaces to choose from" 8he became a fashion

icon and her appearance !as !idely imitated" @he other side to her !asher compassion for people !ith Aids and her opposition to land mines 9

a product of the militaryindustrial compleC of !hich she herself !as

aruably a part" erhaps for this reason= people sa! the latter as a particularly

principled stand"

8he !as a paradoCical heroine in that her !ealth could have separated

her from people in the street= but it didnGt" 8he !as enuinely liked

by her future subjects: so much so that @ony Blair could make political

capital by callin her Fthe eopleGs rincessG 9 at her funeral" @he arrival of

$&&&

)) British Cultural Identities

rincess Diana !as a !atershed in attitudes to the monarchy" Buckinhamalace completely misread the public mood !ith their reaction !hen she


17/68

!as killed !ith her lover in a car crash in aris in &11;"

eople already kne! from a television intervie! !ith ,artin Bashir

that Diana !as at odds !ith the palace= and= !hen the latter appeared to

be prepared to ive her a lo!key funeral= they !ere outraed" @here !as

a national outpourin of rief" 4t !as a moment !hen the nation came

toether in sorro! because Diana represented values !hich !ere theirs as!ell as hers: compassion for the sick in an uncarin @hatcherite !orld

frustration at restrictions in a society hidebound by hierarchy openmindedness

in a Britain needin to become multicultural an evident belief

in the need for !omen to break out from the stultifyin conventions of

marriae and assert their seCual freedom 9 althouh aruably the latter !as

just the continuation of an upperclass practice made much harder to hide

no!adays from papara77i" 2er funeral !as one of the periodic= unscripted

moments in current affairs !hich unleash enuine feelins of solidarity

amon British people" 4t is as if they !ake up from their traditional passive

conservatism and realise ho! much they really care about certain issues"

@here is a subtle shift in the public mood and in peopleGs relations !ithone another"

4t should also be said that many other Britons !ere totally nonplussed

by this public display of rief" @hey speculated bemusedly on the

spiritual bankruptcy of those !hose emotional lives !ere driven by the need&&&

Introduction )3FIGURE 0.) 'loral tributes outside ensington )alace immediately after )rincess*iana+s deathto hero!orship public fiures" @hey !ere astonished by the uncharacteristically

British public eCpression of emotion" We can conclude that Britain

contains many opposites= and also note that some British heroes are more

unequivocally revered abroad than at home" 8o= DianaGs saintlike media

imae !as dra!n on by the *''& Erench filmA$-lie .directed by ean

ierre eunet0= in !hich the heroineGs life as a doooder is inauurated at

the moment she is !atchin the ne!s report on DianaGs death in aris"

T"e Be2"ams@!o contemporary heroes for youn people are David Beckham= the

,anchester United footballer and 6nland captain= and his !ife 3ictoria"

osh and Becks= as they are called= are style icons and are observed minutely

by the media= their fans= and detractors" 4nBurchill on Beckha$ .*''&0=

for eCample= ulie Burchill said that David displays FDianafaced gravitas

2 2 2 PandQ seems so aristocraticG= !hile P3ictoriaQ is Fso delihtfullycommonG" @he couple feature as key characters inAlistair Mc"owan*s Big

I$pressions on BB-&" osh !as so called !hen formerly a member of the

manufactured roup the 8pice /irls" @oday they are very real trendsetters

9 parents !orry that teenae pop fans !ill copy oshGs !earin of a lip

rin" Boys copy BecksGs haircuts"

@hey both have jobs to do= and theoretically the intense media interest

!hich surrounds them Fjust happensG" Althouh !hat is reported is made

to seem spontaneous and natural= it is in fact the product of an elaborate

public relations campain" 4n Auust *''& the British national press

contained #+' stories about 3ictoria Beckham" @his cannot have been accidental"

Becks has his child BrooklynGs name tattooed in othic script on hislo!er back= !here press photoraphers can see it" As an ambitious youn


18/68

couple they have realised that for them life in the media is money in the

bank" 8o they set about cultivatin their public personas"

4n a sense the Fosh and BecksG phenomenon is too closely orchestrated

to be enuine popular culture= despite its dependence on mass

support" Whereas most youth culture is about iconoclasm= rebellion= and

anarchy= their fame is orchestrated by % firms" osh and Becks are partof a process of the transfer of !ealth and po!er from a previous eneration

to a ne! one" 4n *''&= they !ent by helicopter from their -heshire

mansion to the home of Iord Ieverhulme for the dispersal auction sale of

its contents" @hey spent L*"& million on purchases of antique furniture"

@he effect of this !as to strenthen the position of 6stablishment antiquecollectors

to spread the messae to their o!n fans that the past contains

items of value and to transfer the proceeds of other peopleGs consumerism

into !ealth for their o!n future enerations" 2ence they consolidate the

*

$&&&

)4 British Cultural Identities!ealth of Britain past= !hile enain in processes .pop music and football0

!hich are seen as transitory and ephemeral"

%e&ia ele+ritiesAnother youn contemporary hero !hose career has risen on the strenth

of media publicity is the television chef amie liver" 2e is youn" 2e does

everythin in the eye of the media" 2e !rites for @he Ti$es Maga3ine" 2e

travels to )e! Mork" 2e ets married" 2e entertains his friends" 2e appears

in advertisements" 2e is a talented individual but more important than that

is the publicity machine !hich sells him" 2e is a Fmedia heroG !ho is mainly

valued for his appearance= style= and presentation" 2e lives his life in public

and never seems to have private moments" All his @shirts are ones the

audience !ould like to o!n" @hey are never crumpled" @heir o!ner looks

confident" 2e never appears depressed or havin moments of introspection"

2e is forever cheerful and cuddly" 4n reality such people donGt eCist"

2e has abilities in cookin undoubtedly= but his main skills are in selfpromotion"

2e is the subject of complaints and controversy in liberal

orans such as the "uardian= but mean!hile he is lauhin all the !ay to

the bank= and is evidently the t!entyfirstcentury version of the renaissance

man the people !ant to admire"

$&&&

Introduction )5FIGURE 0.3 *avid and ictoria Bec-ham are the most reported.on individualsin Britain, having completely eclipsed royalty in terms of media interest(/ )opperfoto0eutersBusinessMoun people today particularly esteem achievers in business= commerce=

and finance" @he businessman %ichard Branson is the most admired fiure"

2e is selfmade= rich= 7any and takes part in danerous sports such as

balloonin= and po!erboatracin" 2e has dealt in elements of youth

culture such as -Ds= videos= and D3Ds throuh his 3irin ,eastores"

Moun people admire the mealomania of his ambition 9 he has also o!ned

an airline and a train company 9 as much as the -ity distrusts him for hislack of focus"


19/68

Anita %oddick= !ho founded the Body 8hop= is also admired for the

stances !hich she takes on matters such as the testin of cosmetics on

animals" As a female entrepreneur she is mouldbreakin and serves as a

role model for a youner eneration of !omen !ho !ant to make po!er

and principles a part of their identities"

Einally= a most unlikely *''' overniht heroine= at the ae of t!entyfour=!as Derbyshireborn 6llen ,acArthur" @he yachts!oman came

second in the 4end-e "lobe sinlehanded roundthe!orld race" 4t !as a

phenomenal achievement= and !hat struck a chord !ith people from all

!alks of life !as the fact that she !as not !ell connected nor !ellheeled

and !as not a particularly mediasavvy person" 4n demeanour she !as

modest and didnGt seem particularly confident" 2o!ever she !as obviously

eCtremely selfsufficient and competent= and had !orked sinlemindedly

for her fame" 8he had started as a sailin instructor in 2ull= had lived in a

container in Erance= and ained her achievement on her merits" Eor these

reasons= includin also the nautical connection for an island people= she

appealed to youn and old"Realit' teleision8uch is the po!er of television in Britain= that some heroes can be blatantly

manufactured and presented to the audience= rather than chosen by the

population at lare" @his is done in a semidocumentary format" @he public

are voyeurs !ho see behind the scenes of auditions etc" eople collude !ith

the pretence that they are a part of the prorammemakin and delude

themselves into believin it is all real" @he sense of empo!erment they are

thus iven makes them more likely consumers of the eventual product"

4n *''& an 4@3 seriesPop Stars set about auditionin youn hopefuls from

all over the British 4sles to form a band" @he proramme masqueraded as

a talent competition= and the band !hich !as produced= called 2earG8ay=

!as presented as somethin that rose commercially on its o!n merits" @he

audience !as eCpected to inore the paraphernalia of the production

&&

), British Cultural Identitiesprocess .editin= promotion= staemanaement0" @he roup !as put

toether in front of the vie!ersG eyes !eek by !eek on television= and yet

spectators !ere quite happy to be hood!inked by a process !hich they

!ere bankrollin"

@he series !as very like Freality televisionG= !here peopleGs lives are

turned into soap opera" 8uccessful candidatesG families !ere intervie!ed"We vicariously eCperienced emotions !ith them" And yet the !hole system

of heats and talentspottin !as a sham in the sense that it pretended to

replace a hapha7ard system !here talented siners sink or s!im= dependin

on their luck= !ith one !here merit is all" 8o for eCample -laire Ereeland=

a /laso! call centre supervisor= !as !idely considered the most talented

siner" 2o!ever the verdict of the proramme producer )iel Iythoe !as

3oice: &'" Iooks: $" 8o she !as dropped from the roup"

@he sho! !as really about eneratin interest to fuel a market for

a product !hich it !as creatin" @his !ill ultimately sell -Ds= make

the pop roup stars and the proramme producers rich= and subvert the

previous norm= under !hich it !as consumers= not manufacturers= !hodecided !hat they !anted to consume" A slot !as even found for 2earG8ay


20/68

for the %oyal 3ariety 8ho! in *''&" @he formula is commercially

successful and promoter 8imon -o!ell then did a seriesPop Idol for 4@3

seekin a solo performer"

um+in# &on,any people are made anCious by the loss of quality in television= BritainGs

dominant information medium= illustrated above" @hey see standards of allsorts bein lo!ered in the media enerally= and call it Fdumbin do!nG"

@hey attribute this decline of British cultural standards to deficiencies in

the educational system" Eor years it has been suested that the median

level at !hich television is beamed is the third form at secondary school

.ae: fourteen0" 4f that link is retained= media standards !ill fall even

further= so the arument oes"

6very year /-86 and A level results are reeted !ith complaints from

the ne!spapers that the eCams are ettin easier" @here is a ritual denial

of this from teachers and teachin unions= !ho say that people should ive

credit to the youn for their hard !ork and achievement instead of underminin

their morale" @he overnment supports the eCaminersG line thatstandards have not in fact declined= but the overnment !ould say that=

!ouldnGt it?

6ditorials complain that skills shortaes have arisen because students

have all done undemandin Fne!G courses such as media studies and sports

science" )obody really !ants to hear or address complaints about the

*

$&&&

Introduction )7erosion of standards of quality in education" 8tudents are the last people

!ho !ill complain about so called radeinflation in schools or universities"

Why should they?Private 'e runs a column called FDumb BritainG"

8ample recent eCtracts include:

8teve Wriht %adio *

Wriht: What is the 4talian !ord for motor!ay?

-ontestant: 6Cpresso

/rant 8tott 8ho!= %adio Eorth

8tott: Who is the leader of the Ulster Unionist arty?

-ontestant: /eri 2alli!ell

The 1eakest !ink= BB-&

Anne %obinson: 4n science= !hat is botany the study of?

-aroline G8hea .Big Brother contestant0: Bottoms"4t is temptin to suest that this anCiety about dumbin do!n is a result

of BritainGs diminished economic and military sinificance in the !orld" r

aain= it is one of the effects of devolvin po!er to reions hitherto

controlled by 6nland" A former -hief 8cientific Adviser to the /overnment

said in *''& that universities are underfunded and must not be seen

Fsimply as a substitute for )ational 8ervice to keep younsters off the

dole queueG" Whatever the reason= fears about dumbin do!n of radio and

television prorammes= turnin ideas into sound bites that can be assimilated

by a notvery!elleducated audience is rife= and !e !ill see later

!hether there is just cause for this vie!= or !hether it is a symptom of a

moral panic"@he debate about standards is like an annual ame !hich is never


21/68

satisfactorily resolved and !hich mirrors other social and cultural divides

and anCieties" eople !ho have themselves been to rammar schools and

attended the old universities feel that they !orked harder than the present

eneration and !ere more competent" roressives on the other hand !elcome

the ne! !ays= applaud the slouhin off of BritainGs imperialist past

and attribute complaints to traditional British snobbery and conservatism"essimists suest that the undereducated youn= havin lost interest

in the pursuit of kno!lede= are politically unconcerned and merely

dissipate their eneries in drus= seC= and pointless consumerism" @his is

not so" ne has only to point to the -anadian !riter= )aomi KleinGs antilobalisation

book,o !ogo= !hich sold forty thousand copies to eihteento

thirtyyearolds in less than a year in Britain in *'''"

*

$&&&

)/ British Cultural IdentitiesBritish Cultural Identities struture

2avin revie!ed a number of potential approaches to the question ofBritish cultural identity= !e have chosen to structure our book into seven

chapters" We have headed each chapter !ith a timeline because one needs

to be a!are of FpublicG events !hich shape peopleGs private eCperiences"

After each of the chapters !e have included revie! eCercises !hich allo!

the development of discussion on issues !hich British people themselves

debate" 4n order to inform discussion !e have included some Fcultural

eCamplesG" @hese are items= mainly from popular culture= !hich people

value" @hey include films= television= drama= novels= social commentaries

and other artefacts !hich illustrate the cultural state of the nation" @hey

are not academic references= but sinposts to!ards cultural understandin"

ur first chapter= Flaces and eoplesG= deals !ith the cultural eoraphy

of Britain" eople are products of their bioloy and environment

.)ature and )urture0 and !e try to determine !hat they have in common

9 !hat the British FsystemG produces" @he chapter considers ho! far people

pride themselves on bein from a particular area" @here is a !ell kno!n

)orth98outh divide but there is also a continuin historic rivalry bet!een

Iancashire and Morkshire" eople from -orn!all and Devon .the West

-ountry0 feel they are different from those in Iondon= !hich is three

hundred miles a!ay and yet rules them" Iondoners see themselves as at the

authentic heart of Britain= and so on"

F6ducation= Work= and IeisureG deals !ith the formal and recreationalaspects of livin in Britain" 4t assesses the eCtent to !hich people accept

the shared cultural values !hich schools and universities transmit to them"

4t looks at attitudes to employment= and the trauma for members of a social

roup !ho defined themselves as F!orkinG class but !ho are often no

loner !orkin" 4t asks !hether leisure time in Britain is spent productively=

to promote the physical and psychic !ellbein of the population 9 or is it

just !asteful hedonism?

F/ender= 8eC= and the EamilyG traces the chane in attitudes and

patterns of behaviour of the seCes" 8eC is bioloically= but ender socially

determined" 8o= !here has a questionin of traditional ender roles led

to in modern Britain? Attitudes to seC and seCuality= amon younpeople particularly= are very different from their parentsG" 8o ho! do


22/68

families resolve these potential divisions? @he concept of the nuclear

family has underone profound chane" ,ale authority has been eroded"

,arriae is less common and divorce is prevalent" Where is this leadin in

terms not just of social stability but of ho! people see their family roles

and futures?

4n FMouth -ulture and 8tyleG !e eCamine the !ay in !hichFteenaersG= a concept first identified in the &1+'s= have their o!n codes of&

&

Introduction )$communication= fashion= behaviour= and cultural practices" We also look

at the status of older people in a society becomin more youthoriented"

F-lass and oliticsG deals !ith the question of !hether peopleGs lives

and psyches are conditioned by the socioeconomic rank in !hich they

happen to have been born" @he death of class has been repeatedly

pronounced" We offer another vie!" We also look at the !ay in !hich class

influences votin patterns and the eCtent to !hich people still see themselvesas FpoliticalG or of the riht or left"

F6thnicity and IanuaeG looks at important questions around race=

not just for ethnic minorities= !ho make up ("5 per cent of the British population=

but for speakers of 4rish= 8cots= Welsh= and 6nlish !hose identities

are partly thereby determined" 4t discusses the colonisin nature of lanuae

and its effects on incomers and Britain"

F%eliion and 2eritaeG assesses ho! far people livin in Britain maintain

a spiritual dimension in their lives" %eliious observance appears to be

in decline" But that is not the !hole story" Iinked to the idea of reliious

belief is the collective endorsement of a set of values from the past= !orth

handin on and preserved in the form of heritae" 2eritae is more complicated

than the preservation of historic monuments" 4t involves the idea of

themepark Britain= the )ottin 2ill -arnival= distinctive foods" 4t is very

often about the incorporation of influences from the marins into the eventual

mainstream"

8ome of the questions !e are posin are: Will British culture be annihilated

by= or !ill it incorporate= lobal culture? Why does one cultural

influence= oneGs ender for eCample= override another oneGs 8cottishness=

say? 4s the present eneration in Britain radically different from its parents?

4f so in !hat !ays? 4f not= !hy not? Do the British media reflect or

direct peopleGs vie!s and perceptions? 4s Britain a meltin pot of nationalities=does it allo! and encourae diversity= or is it just conformist and

conservative? What does it mean to be British in the t!entyfirst century?

4f FBritishG is a brand= !hat does it sinify?


23/68

the t!o people battlin for the top position !ere 8hakespeare and

Iennon" @houh they have some thins in common .both men= both in the

arts0= they aruably represent contrastin attitudes to!ards bein British"

*

$&&&

30 British Cultural Identities8hakespeare represents the pinnacle of an 6li7abethan cultural Folden aeG

!hich is often contrasted to the emphasis on quantity as much as quality

in the t!entieth century .mass media= multinational industries= mass

production0" Iennon by contrast represents a different Folden aeG= the

&1('s= !hen values of freedom= liberalism= understandin= and love !ere

promoted by a eneration !hose motto miht have been IennonGs F/ive

eace a -hanceG= and its anthem IennonGs F4maineG .recently voted the

FreatestG number one sinle of all time on a -hannel # poll of vie!ers0"

@he list tells us several thins about the dominant conceptions of Britishness

and of FheroesG= in terms of ender= country= heritae= leadership= and fame"

@he fact that all those appearin in the top ten are no loner livin alsoaruably says somethin about the !ay in !hich the present continues to

live in the shado! of the past"

1 2ow important do you thin- heroes are to a 3sense of identity+4 'romthe descriptions in this chapter, and from your own -nowledge, whatcommon images of !ngland and of Britain have you noticed, and whatcharacteristics do you thin- they represent4) In the ne5t chapter, you will find it suggested that the British, and the!nglish in particular, were being presented in a certain way in 2ollywoodin the 1996s7 Before you read this however, we+d li-e you to considerthe following e5ercises7 8hin-ing of the #merican films you have seen, how many !nglishactors can you remember4 2ave they usually played !nglish characters42ow have the !nglish been stereotyped by 2ollywood, or yourown national film industry, in the past4 In terms of recent 2ollywood films, ames Bond is perhaps the mostfamous !nglish character (first played by Sean Connery, a Scot7"hat other similar larger.than.life images of British people has2ollywood produced4 2ow many of these originated in Britishnovels4 *oes 2ollywood portray British women differently from British men

(you might thin- of *eborah err, oan Collins, :lenda ac-son,ulie #ndrews, !mma 8hompson, or even the #mericans atherine2epburn in The African Queen and Bette *avis in The Virgin Queen43 2ow important do you thin- wider geographical perspectives, such asthose offered by !urope or the Commonwealth, are to understandingBritish identity4 2ow is national culture altered by these larger communities4Can you name fifteen countries that are in the Commonwealth,$&&&

Introduction 31!5ercises and can you list them by (a si;e of population4 (b year of independence4

4 British daily national newspapers are e5tremely varied, from the tabloidpress to the broadsheets, and so are their readerships7 # long.standing


24/68

characterisation of newspapers categorises them in terms of the peoplewho buy them7


25/68

!oc%& Stoc% and T'o Smo%ing Barrels (199E dir7 :uy itchie7 'our c!wan, The )ement Garden (19EA7 *etails adolescents+ response to the deathof their mother in a blea- >idlands environment7 # -ey te5t for unloc-ing @teenagers+ minds7oanna 8rollope, The )hoir (199D7 )resents a typically British conflict betweenappearanceand reality, change and tradition, when a venal *ean wants to close a

cathedral choir school7?ic- 2ornby,About a Boy (199E7 *eals with the problems facing a laddish centralcharacter who thin-s he has his life sorted out7 8he son of one of his girlfriendsintroduces him to his own emotions7 'ilmed with 2ugh :rant78ony )arsons, Man and Boy (D6667 "ritten with autobiographical hindsight, thisnovellaments the myopia of a central character who loses everything through anirresponsiblefling with a colleague7 *iscussed in a prison as Boo- of the >onth, onadio A7:raham Swift, !ast *rders (199G7 # group of four wor-ing.class


26/68

choose7 SeHuel to "op Stars, whose band 2ear+Say produced two hit singles inshort order7This !ife7 :round.brea-ing, documentary.format drama series where a group oflawyersin their twenties live together in a large house7

www7ons7gov7u-0ffice for ?ational Statistics, @ :overnment #gency, produces social, health,economic, demographic, labour mar-et and business statisticswww7statistics7gov7u-08he official @ statistics site7 @p to date and accurateearthstation17simplenet7com0)rincess*iana7html# tribute in sounds and pictures from )rincess *i+s funeral, including !lton ohn+srendition of 3!ngland+s ose+ and by Blair et al. funeral addresseswww7private.eye7co7u-0nline version of very influential satirical maga;ine7 )resents alternative view ofcontemporary Britain

www7bbc7co7u-0history0programmes0greatbritons08he BBC+s 3:reatest Briton+ sitehannel += ,arch *''&

@HE FOLLOWING CHAPTERS EXAMINE BritainGs physical eoraphy=

the British people and the historical evolution of structural features in

the society" @he latter currently take many different forms and si7es

operate on both national and local levels embrace a rane of attitudes and

values and help to promote and condition cultural identities"

@he major formal features= such as arliament= monarchy= la! andovernment= are concerned !ith state or public business and initiate policies

in topdo!n and hierarchical form" But there are many other structures

on both public and private levels of social activity= such as sports= families=

leisure activities= neihbourhoods= popular culture and habitual !ays of

life !hich have their o!n valuesystems" @hey frequently have a bottomup

form and may illustrate more locali7ed= informal and individualistic

characteristics"

@he FBritish !ay of lifeG and British identities are partly determined

by ho! people function !ithin and react to national and local structures=!hether positively or neatively" @hese are not remote abstractions but

directly influence individuals in their daily lives" Eor eCample= overnment

policies affect citi7ens and families commercial orani7ations influence

choices in music= clothes and fashion the media try to shape ne!s values

and aendas sponsorship and advertisin may determine sports activities

and local overnment partly conditions community life" @hese features

cover a rane of practices on both hih and popular cultural levels" @heir

number and variety mean that there are many different F!ays of lifeG in

Britain and all contribute to the diversity and pluralistic identities ofcontemporary society"


27/68

8ocial structures must adapt to ne! situations if they are to survive

and their present roles may be very different from their oriinal functions"Intrdu!tin

4n earlier centuries= 6nland= 8cotland= Wales and 4reland eCperienced very

varied events and conflicts in their historical ro!th" But= since &;'; !hen6nland and Wales !ere united !ith 8cotland as /reat Britain and since

&5'& !hen the United Kindom .6nland= 8cotland= Wales and 4reland0

!as formed= British state structures and a resultin social life have enerally

evolved slo!ly= unevenly and pramatically= rather than by violent

chane"

@hese characteristics have often been attributed to the alleedly

insular and conservative mentalities of island peoples= !ith their supposed

preference for traditional habits and institutions" 8ome influences have

come from abroad" But the absence of any successful eCternal military invasion

of the islands since the )orman -onquest of AD &'(( has allo!ed

6nland= 8cotland= Wales and 4reland to develop internally in distinctive

!ays= despite !ars and disputes bet!een them" @he resultin social principles=

such as parliamentary democracy and reliion= have often been

imitated by other countries= or eCported overseas throuh the creation of

an empire and a commercial need to establish !orld markets for British

oods"

@he development of the British state and its empire historically !as

aided by increasin military and economic strenth so that by the nineteenth

century Britain had become a dominant !orld po!er" But thecountry has eCperienced substantial chanes since the earlier imperial

period and from the midt!entieth century" @oday it is a compleC society

in !hich diversity has created problems as !ell as advantaes"

Britain today may ive an impression of homoeneous or uniform

behaviour" But there are differences in the society= such as the cultural

distinctiveness and separate identities of Wales= 8cotland and )orthern

4reland .leadin to the devolution of some political po!er in &1119*'''0

subsequent demands for local autonomy in some 6nlish reions .such as

the northeast0 disparities bet!een affluent and economically depressedareas throuhout the country .includin the decay and social deprivation

of many innercity locations0 alleed cultural aps bet!een )orth and

8outh political variety .reflected in support for different political parties in

different parts of Britain0 debates on the positions of !omen= minority

roups and ethnic communities .!ith tensions bet!een national identity

and ethnicity0 campains for individual and collective rihts .!ith the

conflict bet!een rihts and responsibilities0 a ulf bet!een rich and poor

.!ith a ro!in underclass of disadvantaed= alienated people0 and

enerationaldifferences bet!een youn and old"


28/68

8uch features illustrate the present divisions in British society" @hey

suest a decline in the traditional deference to authority= consensus vie!s

and national institutions" @he people are no! more )onconformist= multiethnic

and individualistic than in the past" pinion polls suest that the

&'&&&" 4ntroduction

British feel that they have become more aressive= more selfish= less

tolerant= less kind= less moral= less honest and less polite" @heir society is

sometimes portrayed as one riddled !ith mistrust= coarseness and cynicism

in !hich materialism= relativistic values= celebrity !orship and a sensationalist

tabloid media constitute the ne! standards"

Aruably= such developments have led to an increase in antisocial

behaviour= yobbishness= public scruffiness= serious alchohol and dru abuse=

disputes bet!een neihbours= street crime and public disorder" @he tolerant

civic imae of individual liberty and sense of community= !hich foreiners

and the British often have of the country= has suffered" -ritics and politicians

!ant a return to social responsibility= consensus or inclusive politics

and a carin society in !hich individuals feel that they have a place"

,any Britons are !orried about the quality and services of their

society" An opinion poll prior to the *''& eneral election found

!hich issues !ere important for them in decidin !hich party to vote for

.@able '"&0" 8uch issues are of concern to and affect British people on a

personal level in their daily lives"

ressures are consequently placed on social structures and politiciansto reflect and respond more adequately to current !orries" @he performances

of British national and local institutions are viorously debated and

many are found !antin"


29/68

6urope" 4t sheltered behind the barrier of the 6nlish -hannel and its

outlook !as !est!ards and !orld!ide" @oday the psycholoical and physical

isolation from 6urope is chanin= as illustrated by increased

cooperation bet!een Britain and other 6uropean countries and by the

openin .&11#0 of a -hannel rail tunnel bet!een 6nland and Erance" Butthe relationship bet!een Britain and 6urope continues to be problematic=

$&&&

4ntroduction #

and ne! associations have been forced by events and circumstances= rather

than !holeheartedly souht"

Despite such developments and more internal social diversity= there

is still a conservatism in British life !hich reards chane !ith suspicion"

@he Fforces of conservatismG .in @ony BlairGs !ords0 may lead to tension

bet!een the often enforced need for reform and a nostalia for an assumed

ideal past" @hey can cause difficulties for proress and the evolution of

social structures" 2istorical fact demonstrates that the past in Britain !as

not as idyllic as is sometimes imained" But the myth and traditional

patterns of behaviour still hold considerable attraction for many people"

Eundamental chane does not come easily to old cultures such as

Britain= and social structures .or the human beins !ho operate them0 are

often resistant to major alteration" 4t is arued that Britain since the &1+'s

has been un!illin to face larescale reassessment in its social= political=

economic and institutional structures" A relative economic decline since

the late nineteenth century !as joined to a political system and nationalmentality !hich could not cope !ith the reality or needs of the post

&'&&&

$ 4ntroduction

@ A B I 6 ' " & @op issues facin British society= *''&

Per cent2ealth care ;$

6ducation (*

Ia! and order +'

ensions #'@aCation $;

ublic transport $&

,anain the economy $&

Unemployment $'

Asylum seekersJimmiration *;

6urope *(

rotectin the natural environment *(

2ousin *&

Animal !elfare &&Defence &&


30/68

@he constitution and devolution 5

)orthern 4reland ;

@rade unions (

Source:MO/I une *''&

industrial and culturally diverse society that Britain had become" ,uch ofthis decline !as supposedly due to lonterm and lobal events !hich !ere

not reversible" But it is arued that the country still suffers from structural

defects= !hich need radical rethinkin" ramatic evolution and a complacent

attachment to past habits are= in this vie!= no loner sufficient"

Britain does have its problems" @here is continuin social instability=

such as the tension bet!een tradition and moderni7ation a ap bet!een

rich and poor industrial and technoloical chane inadequacies in social

institutions .such as education and health0 alleed lack of overnmental

competence and vision social framentation and an apparent decline in

cohesion and identity"

But= despite the often lurid picture of social decay painted by some

commentators= the essential fabric of British society is not fallin apart"

Biased ideoloical vie!s and a British capacity for selfdeniration and

complaint can encourae unbalanced= sensational vie!s= and events may

be eCaerated beyond their national importance or representative value"

,ost British people no! enjoy reater prosperity and opportunities=

althouh the economy suffered a lobally influenced do!nturn in some

sectors from *''&" But continuin structural and social problems !arn

aainst undue complacency"Assumptions about British life have in fact been stronly questioned

in recent decades" -onservative overnments under ,araret @hatcher

.&1;191'0 tried to reform social structures and promote ne! attitudes"

@hey attempted to reduce the stateGs role in public affairs and replace it by

Fmarket forcesG" @he focus !as upon economic ro!th competition

privati7ation

.state concerns transferred to the private sector0 the creation of

choice and standards in public services such as education and health and

the reform of bodies such as the trade unions= some professions and localovernment" eople !ere encouraed to be more responsible for their o!n

affairs !ithout reliance on the state for support .the Fdependency cultureG0

and to adopt more individual competitiveness and efficiency .the Fenterprise

cultureG0"

8uch policies !ere partially successful on the economic level= but there

!as resistance to the alleed accompanyin selfishness and social divisiveness"

While some people applauded the freedoms of an enterprise culture=

others stronly !ished for more intervention and fundin in public social

services" @his suests that it is difficult to chane BritonsG attitudes andthat many people still look to the state for support in areas such as health=


31/68

education and 8ocial 8ecurity" )evertheless= market prorammes continued

under the -onservative rime ,inister ohn ,ajor .&11'91;0"

,ean!hile= the Iabour arty moderni7ed its policies and moved

to the political centre" 8ince ainin po!er in &11;= the Iabour overnment

under @ony Blair has not deviated from the -onservative economic$&&&4ntroduction %

approach= !hile pursuin cautious policies" 4t has also attempted .not

!ithout opposition0 to moderni7e Britain by creatin a Fne!= youn and

inclusiveG society" 4t is addressin social and economic realities= emphasi7es

personal initiative and responsibility and stresses that hard choices must be

made" But the overnment !ill have to deliver on its *''& election promises

to improve public services" 4t has spent lare amounts of money on education=

health and transport in order to prevent their collapse= raisin fears

of personal income taC rises"

pposition to some overnment prorammes .such as the local

overnment property taC under @hatcher or fuel prices and rural policy

under Blair0 and acceptance of others demonstrate that social chane can

occur in various= often interconnected= !ays" 8ome social structures !ither

a!ay because they are no loner used" thers are reformed internally as

ne! situations arise" Additional forces for chane are opposition political

parties !ith their alternative prorammes interest or pressure roups

eCertin influence upon decisionmakers rassroots movements protestin

at some action or lack of action campains by the media to promote reform

or uncover scandals and the !eiht of public opinion for or aainst officialplans" 2o!ever= overnment initiatives are the sinle most important

factor in determinin structural chane as politicians implement policies or

respond to events"

@he British allo! their overnments a reat deal of po!er in the

runnin of the country" But there is a limit to their tolerance and their

disquiet may be sho!n in public opinion polls= demonstrations and eneral

election results" ,ost politicians are sensitive to the vie!s of the people=

since their hold upon political po!er is dependent upon the electorate"

/overnments usually overn !ith at least one eye on public opinion andenerally attempt to ain acceptance for their policies" @hey have to move

cautiously .even !ith bi majorities in the 2ouse of -ommons like the

Iabour overnment0 and may suffer setbacks in some of their prorammes"

@he British assume= rihtly or !ronly= that they have an individual

independence and liberty !ithin the frame!ork of social institutions and

are quick to voice disapproval if their interests are threatened" rotest is a

natural and traditional reaction= as !ell as bein a safety valve aainst more

serious social and political disruption" But dissension may be neutrali7ed

by the promise of reform= or inored by overnment" Adequate responsesmay not come from the authorities and there is al!ays the daner of more


32/68

serious conflict and public alienation" 2o!ever= peaceful evolution characteri7es

most of British life and radualist chanes reflect the diverse

nature of the society and its attitudes"

But the British are healthily cynical= irreverent= critical and increasinly

apathetic about their state institutions and political leaders"BritishSocial Attitudes5 6788%7 .pp" &*&9*0 suested that F@he PBritishQ publicGs

&'&&&

& 4ntroduction

trust in the pillars of the British establishment is at best hihly qualified

" " " P@heyQ seem intuitively to have discovered that the surest protection

aainst disillusionment !ith their public fiures and po!erful institutions

is to avoid developin illusions about them in the first place"G

@he British today are confrontin cultural and economic realities

different from those of the past" @hey do not enjoy the benefits of earlier

industrial revolutions= such as cheap ra! materials= cheap labour and an

uncompetitive !orld market" @he society has seen a decline in traditional

certainties and become more diverse= mobile= stressful= conflictridden and

individualistic" ld pramatic methods of innovation= !hich illustrate the

British tendency to muddle throuh difficulties !ithout lonterm plannin

or fundamental reform= are no loner sufficient for an era in !hich speciali7ed

education and trainin= hihtechnoloy competence and a need to

respond to international competition are the main determinants"

But aBritish Council9MO/Ipoll in )ovember &111 sho!ed that

many overseas countries see Britain as traditionridden= back!ardlookinand conventional= !ith imaes of monarchy= kilts= castles and aristocracy

predominatin" 4t is arued that Britain must chane this imae and reduce

the ap bet!een such forein perceptions and the countryGs contemporary

reality= !hile preservin its traditional strenths"

n the other hand= a survey by'ncclopaedia Britannica in

)ovember *''& found that most recent schoolleavers in Britain !ere inorant

of some of the key events in British history and a quarter had no

interest in byone days" 2istorical kno!lede !as also sorely lackin

amon adults"E'(lain and e'a)ine t*e +ll,in- ter)s.

insular rassroots pramatic sponsorship

deference conservatism innercity diversity

consensus kilts pluralism ethnic

nostalia autonomy postindustrial moderni7ation

myth dependency nonconformist evolution

enterprise @hatcher yobbishness community

hierarchies homoeneous inclusive apathetic

$&&&4ntroduction /


33/68

6Cercises Write s*rt essa0s n t*e +ll,in- t(i!s.

& 6Camine the vie! that Britain is a quaint= oldfashioned museum piece=

back!ardlookin and conventional"

* What are some of the characteristics that you !ould associate !ith theBritish people and their society?

Abercrombie= )icholas and Warde= Alan .*'''0 Conte$porar British Societ

Cford:

Black!ell ublishers

Blair= @ony .&11(0,ew Britain5 M 4ision of a :oung Countr Iondon: Eourth

6state

6nlish= %ichard and Kenny= ,ichael .eds0 .&1110/ethinking British )ecline

Iondon:

,acmillan

2alsey= A"2" and Webb= " .*'''0 Twentieth;Centur British Social Trends

Iondon:

alraveJ,acmillan

,ar!ick= Arthur .*'''0A #istor of the Modern British Isles 676


34/68

,ost British people identify themselves at one level !ith the larer political

and eoraphical areas in !hich they live" @he countryGs title for

constitutional and political purposes is the United Kindom of /reat

Britain and )orthern 4reland= !ith the short forms FUKG and FBritainG bein

used for convenience" 4t is part of those islands= kno!n eoraphicallyas the British 4sles .but more correctly as the British4rish 4slands0= !hich

lie off the north!est coast of continental 6urope" @he mainlands of

6nland= 8cotland and Wales form the larest island !ith the political title

of /reat Britain" )orthern 4reland shares the secondlarest island !ith

the %epublic of 4reland .4reland or 6ire0= !hich has been independent of

Britain since &1*&9**" 8maller islands= such as Anlesey= the 4sle of Wiht=

the rkneys= 8hetlands= 2ebrides and 8cillies= are also part of the British

political union"

But the 4sle of ,an in the 4rish 8ea and the -hannel 4slands off the

Erench !est coast are not part of the United Kindom" @hey are selfovernin

-ro!n Dependencies !hich have a historical relationship !ith

the British -ro!n and possess their o!n independent leal systems= leislatures

and administrative structures" 2o!ever= the British overnment is

responsible for their defence and forein relations and can intervene if ood

administration is not maintained"

n a smaller level of eoraphical identification= Britain is often

divided up into FreionsG" @hese are not the same as local overnment

&'&&&

24 @he countrystructures .see -hapter $0" @hey can be politicoeconomic structures for

British and 6U purposes assistance and development areas or service

locations for supplies of as= !ater and electricity" @hey are often based=

as in fiure &"$= on former economic plannin reions" 4n &111= %eional

Development Aencies .%DAs0 !ere created in 6nland !hich cover the

same areas"

F%eionalismG and FlocalismG= as cultural factors= are sinificant in

British life= but opinions differ on ho! stron they actually are" @hey can

illustrate a sense of belonin= !hich becomes more evident !ith increasindistance from Iondon and the UK overnment" @hey may reflect a

determination

by reional or local populations to assert their individual identities"

@hese have increased in 8cotland= Wales and .aruably0 )orthern

4reland !ith the devolution of political po!er from Iondon and the

establishment

.&1119*'''0 of a arliament in 6dinburh and Assemblies in

-ardiff and Belfast" But smaller local overnment areas in these countries

may !ell react to centrali7ed po!er in the capital cities" Devolution hasalso provoked demands for reater autonomy in some 6nlish reions such


35/68

as the northeast= and the %DAs may serve as future sites for devolved

reional overnment in 6nland"

4dentification !ith even smaller local areas !as aruably more sinificant

!hen the British !ere a rural people livin in villaes and !ere less

mobile" But today= this identity may still be stronly focused on cities .suchas ,anchester= Iiverpool= /laso!= Belfast= Iondon and -ardiff0 or on

6nlish and Welsh counties rather than the larer reional areas"

P*0si!al +eatures and !li)ate

2istorically= BritainGs physical features have influenced human settlement=

population movements= military conquest and political union" @hey have

also conditioned the location and eCploitation of industry= transport

systems= ariculture= fisheries= !oodlands and enery supplies" @oday they

continue to influence such activities and are tied to public concerns about

pollution= !eather chane= the state of the natural environment and the

quality of food products" 8ome have been affected by overnment policies

.such as privati7ation0 and 6uropean Union directives on ariculture and

fisheries"

4n recent years= the countryside has become a fierce political issue"

,any rural inhabitants= roups such as @he -ountryside Alliance and

farmers feel nelected by the UK central overnment" @hey and others

object to the alleed destruction of the physical environment and the lack

of understandin of country life" 4n Britain= there has historically been a

tension bet!een urban and rural cultures but many people .even in the

@he country 22cities0 feel a traditional .if romantici7ed0 nostalia and identity for the

countryside"

BritainGs eoraphical position is marked by latitude +'R) in southern

6nland and by latitude ('R) across the 8hetlands" 4t thus lies !ithin only

&'R of latitude and has a small and compact si7e !hen compared !ith some

6uropean countries" Met it also possesses a reat diversity of physical

features= !hich surprises those visitors !ho eCpect a mainly urban and

industriali7ed country" @he many beauty spots and recreation areas= such

as the ten )ational arks in 6nland and Wales and areas of natural beautyin 8cotland and )orthern 4reland= may be easily reached !ithout much

eCpenditure of time or effort"

BritainGs physical area covers 1$='*+ square miles .*#*=5#* square

kilometres0" ,ost is land and the rest comprises inland !ater such as lakes

and rivers" 6nland has +'='+* square miles .&*1=($# sq km0= Wales has

;=1(5 .*'=($;0= 8cotland has *1=;11 .;;=&;10 and )orthern 4reland has

+=*'( .&$=#$50" 6nland is sinificantly larer than the other countries and

also has .*'''0 the biest populat

Documents

Britanska Kultura i Civilizacija