The Making of English National IdentityCambridge University Press, 2003 M03 13 Why is English national identity so enigmatic and so elusive? Why, unlike the Scots, Welsh, Irish and most of continental Europe, do the English find it so difficult to say who they are? The Making of English National Identity, first published in 2003, is a fascinating exploration of Englishness and what it means to be English. Drawing on historical, sociological and literary theory, Krishan Kumar examines the rise of English nationalism and issues of race and ethnicity from earliest times to the present day. He argues that the long history of the English as an imperial people has, as with other imperial people like the Russians and the Austrians, developed a sense of missionary nationalism which in the interests of unity and empire has necessitated the repression of ordinary expressions of nationalism. Professor Kumar's lively and provocative approach challenges readers to reconsider their pre-conceptions about national identity and who the English really are. |
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... to outsiders, but to himis Queen of England; hetalks theEnglish language; he has been taught English history asonecontinuous tale from Alfred to hisown day; hehas heard of the word of an Englishman and aspires to be an English.
... to outsiders, but to himis Queen of England; hetalks theEnglish language; he has been taught English history asonecontinuous tale from Alfred to hisown day; hehas heard of the word of an Englishman and aspires to be an English.
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... language, that they speak with scholarly precision.That would be absurd – Fowler is right aboutthat. The everyday usages reflect real experiences and real perceptions. They arethe resultofa real history. But it certainly behoves ...
... language, that they speak with scholarly precision.That would be absurd – Fowler is right aboutthat. The everyday usages reflect real experiences and real perceptions. They arethe resultofa real history. But it certainly behoves ...
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... language – the English language – has an interestingly parallel history to English as an ethnic description. It exhibits the same striking elasticity. Starting as a groupofdialects originally spoken in what is now Denmark and ...
... language – the English language – has an interestingly parallel history to English as an ethnic description. It exhibits the same striking elasticity. Starting as a groupofdialects originally spoken in what is now Denmark and ...
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... language developed a variety of forms,a number ofwhich gradually emerged asnew standard forms (American English, AustralianEnglish, CaribbeanEnglish, South AsianEnglish, etc.). 'British English',asa language andaliterature, has hadto ...
... language developed a variety of forms,a number ofwhich gradually emerged asnew standard forms (American English, AustralianEnglish, CaribbeanEnglish, South AsianEnglish, etc.). 'British English',asa language andaliterature, has hadto ...
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... language, life, people. Secondly, and by an equally expansive route, it has come to be applied to the entire 'culture, spirit, heritage, ethnic typeandset of attitudes'(McArthur 1985(1): 14)associated withthe English(or the British) ...
... language, life, people. Secondly, and by an equally expansive route, it has come to be applied to the entire 'culture, spirit, heritage, ethnic typeandset of attitudes'(McArthur 1985(1): 14)associated withthe English(or the British) ...
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