Bri$shness  in  the  21st  Century  

Surveys  show  that  a  high  percentage  of  Bri5sh  ci5zens  “feel  Bri5sh.”  But  what  exactly  do  people  have  in  mind  when  they  say  this?  People  may  think  differently  about  this  ques5on,  and  perhaps  it  is  also  Bri5sh  to  give  various  meanings  to  Bri5sh  iden5ty.  S5ll,  can  we  define  what  it  is  to  “feel”  Bri5sh?  Or  even  what  is  un-­‐Bri5sh—be  it  a  paIern  of  behavior,  a  belief,  or  a  way  of  doing  things?  

-­‐“‘Us’  and  ‘Them’  –  Can  We  Define  Na5onal  Iden5ty?”  by  Liav  Orgad,  7  September  2015  

Bri$shness  in  the  21st  Century  

In  2002,  the  Home  Office  published  a  report  on  the  essence  of  Bri5shness:  “To  be  Bri5sh  seems  to  us  to  mean  that  we  respect  the  laws,  the  elected  parliamentary  and  democra5c  poli5cal  structures,  tradi5onal  values  of  mutual  tolerance,  respect  for  equal  rights  and  mutual  concern…”  -­‐“‘Us’  and  ‘Them’  –  Can  We  Define  Na5onal  Iden5ty?”  

by  Liav  Orgad,  7  September  2015  

Bri$shness  in  the  21st  Century  

Un5l  not  so  long  ago,  European  countries  did  not  struggle  with  the  ques5on  “who  are  we,”  or  search  for  a  bond  to  bind  them  together.  Na#onal  iden#ty  was  a  given,  not  something  that  had  to  be  defined.  But  5mes  have  changed.  The  ques5on  of  immigra5on,  together  with  globaliza5on  processes  and  the  rise  of  minority  rights  and  mul5culturalism,  have  led  to  a  new  reality  where  it  becomes  much  more  difficult  to  know  what  it  means  to  have  a  na5onal  iden5ty…  

Take  Britain,  for  instance.  Star5ng  in  2005,  every  person  asking  to  seIle  in  the  United  Kingdom  must  demonstrate  “sufficient  knowledge  about  life  in  the  United  Kingdom”  by  passing  the  Life  in  the  UK  Test.  In  less  than  a  decade,  Britain  has  changed  its  concept  of  Bri#shness,  as  reflected  in  the  test,  three  #mes!  

-­‐“‘Us’  and  ‘Them’  –  Can  We  Define  Na5onal  Iden5ty?”  

by  Liav  Orgad,  7  September  2015  

Bri$shness  in  the  21st  Century  

Un5l  not  so  long  ago,  European  countries  did  not  struggle  with  the  ques5on  “who  are  we,”  or  search  for  a  bond  to  bind  them  together.  Na#onal  iden#ty  was  a  given,  not  something  that  had  to  be  defined.  But  5mes  have  changed.  The  ques5on  of  immigra5on,  together  with  globaliza5on  processes  and  the  rise  of  minority  rights  and  mul5culturalism,  have  led  to  a  new  reality  where  it  becomes  much  more  difficult  to  know  what  it  means  to  have  a  na5onal  iden5ty…  

Take  Britain,  for  instance.  Star5ng  in  2005,  every  person  asking  to  seIle  in  the  United  Kingdom  must  demonstrate  “sufficient  knowledge  about  life  in  the  United  Kingdom”  by  passing  the  Life  in  the  UK  Test.  In  less  than  a  decade,  Britain  has  changed  its  concept  of  Bri5shness,  as  reflected  in  the  test,  three  5mes!  

-­‐“‘Us’  and  ‘Them’  –  Can  We  Define  Na5onal  Iden5ty?”  

by  Liav  Orgad,  7  September  2015  

Early  Bri$sh  History  (and  some  Pre-­‐History,  technically)  

•  Geography  •  The  Celts  (Iron  Age)  –  Prehistoric  –  No  wriIen  records  extant  

o  Earliest  inhabitants  –  many  tribes  –  violent,  warring,  primi5ve  o  Gaels  seIled  in  Ireland  (hence,  Gaelic);  Brythons  (Britons)  seIled  in  Britain.    

o  Wheat  farmers,  lakeside  villages,  horse-­‐drawn  chariots  in  war  o  Wore  animal  skins,  warred  in  the  nude  and  painted  blue    o  Very  crea5ve  and  ar5s5c  o  Originally  pagan  

•  religious,  poli5cal,  and  cultural  leaders  called  druids  •  believed  all  natural  elements  had  a  spirit  

•   Note:  Julius  Caesar  landed  in  Britain  in  55  BC  but  was  unsuccessful  in  establishing  a  Roman  presence  at  this  5me.  

Early  Bri$sh  History  

•  Roman  Occupa$on  (43  –  410  A.D.)  

o  Influx  of  Chris5anity,  monotheism    [Took  root  once  and  for  all  in  597  AD  when  St.  Augus5ne  (not  THE)  arrived  and  converted  King  Ethelbert  to  Chris5anity  and  set  up  a  monastery  at  *Canterbury*.]  

o  Church  provided  counsel  to  quarreling  rulers,  promoted  peace,  helped  unify  the  English  people  (made  up  of  a  mix  of  tribes/clans).  

o  Romans  also  brought  art,  architecture,  roads,  laws,  La5n,  towns  and  ci5es,  military  infrastructures  (i.e.  Hadrian’s  wall,  built  and  patrolled  to  keep  Vikings  out).  

•  410  A.D.  =  Fall  of  the  Roman  Empire;  Romans  recalled  to  defend  the  heart  of  the  empire  –  Ler  Britain  vulnerable…  

Early  Bri$sh  History  

•  ANGLO-­‐SAXON  PERIOD  (Old  English;  410*-­‐1066  A.D.)  o  Waves  of  Germanic  tribes  (the  Angles,  Saxons,  and  Jutes)      invaded  arer  the  Romans  ler  and  seIled  the  Bri5sh  Isles      (Remember,  the  islands  were  already  inhabited  by  the    Celts,  Gaels,  Britons,  etc.).  

o  Mainly  deep-­‐sea  fishermen  and  farmers  

o  “Angle-­‐land”  !  ENGLAND  

o  Repeated  VIKING  RAIDS/INVASIONS  (Norse  and  Danes,  c.  789)  o  Barbarians  –  greatly  responsible  for  eradica5ng      remnants  of  Roman  influence;  reason  this  period  is      some5mes  referred  to  as  the  “Dark  Ages”.  

o  Targeted  monasteries  for  wealth,  not  for  religious  persecu5on.  

o  Runes  –only  surviving  ones  are  brief  inscrip5ons,  give  liIle  insight  

o  871  A.D.  –  King  Alfred  “The  Great”  (only  “the  great”  in  England)  –  brokered  truce  between  Danes  and  Saxons;  peace,  rebirth  of  learning  

o  1066  –  Death  of  King  Edward  “The  Confessor,”  Norman  invasion  –  end  of  A-­‐S  

*449,  according  to  the  Venerable  Bede  in  his  Ecclesias#cal  History  of  the  English  (731  A.D.)    

Anglo-­‐Saxon  Culture  and  Barbarian  Influence  

•  Tribal  Community  Structure  •  *King  =  Ring-­‐Giver  •  Witan  =  Elder,  wise  men  –  King’s  advisers  •  *Earl/Thane  =  nobility  of  the  tribe;  lineage  can  be  

traced  to  the  king’s  family  •  *Scop  =  bearer  of  history  (A-­‐S  court  poet,  story-­‐teller);  

gleeman  =  similar,  but  recited  others’  work  (didn’t  compose)  

•  Warriors  =  central  figures  in  society  •  Freemen/Churls  =  independent  landholders  •  Thralls  =  slaves  •  Women  =  of  no  importance,  unless  queen  of  a  tribe  

•  Warring,  exploring,  seafaring,  feas$ng  =  central  to  Anglo-­‐Saxon  life,  all  supported  by  their  pagan  religion  

•  Main  focus  of  warrior’s  life  =  to  achieve  glory  in  warfare  to  enter  Valhalla  (A-­‐S  heaven)  arer  death  

Anglo-­‐Saxon  Culture  and  Barbarian  Influence  

•  A-­‐S  brought  Germanic  myths  and  legends  (fire-­‐breathing  dragons,  trolls,  ogres,  goblins,  elves,  giants,  demons,  sea  monsters,  etc.);  A-­‐S  gods  were  harsh,  warlike  gods  of  Norse  mythology  

•  A-­‐S  jus5ce  –  simple  and  crude  

•  wergild  =  “man  money”  (money  paid  to  compensate  an  offense  or  death)  

•  *Fate  (the  goddess  Wyrd  –  pronounced  “weird”)  •  temp5ng  fate  =  charming  Wyrd  through  bravery  

•  Importance  of  the  mead  hall  •  So  important,  their  vision  of  heaven  (Valhalla)  

included  a  feast  every  night,  hosted  by  Woden,  during  which  all  baIle  wounds  would  be  healed.    

The  end  of  the  slideshow,  but  not  the  discussion…  

What  effect  will  these  historical  circumstances  have  on  the  outlook  and  literature  of  the  early  Bri5sh  people?