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Culture Wars in British Literature: Multiculturalism and National Identity

The past century's culture wars that Britain has been consumed by, but that few North Americans seem aware of, have resulted in revised notions of Britishness and British literature. Yet literary anthologies remain anchored to an archaic Anglo-English interpretation of British literature. Conflicts have been played out over specific national vs. British identity (some residents prefer to describe themselves as being from Scotland, England, Wales, or Northern Ireland instead of Britain), in debates over immigration, race, ethnicity, class, and gender, and in arguments over British literature. These debates are strikingly detailed in such chapters as: "The Difficulty Defining 'Black British'," "British Jewish Writers" and "Xenophobia and the Booker Prize." Connections are also drawn between civil rights movements in the U.S. and UK. This generalist cultural study is a lively read and a fascinating glimpse into Britain's changing identity as reflected in 20th and 21st century British literature.

Reviews

"[T]his book is near flawless... an incredible source of information. Using literature as a starting point, Prince delves into [Britain’s] history with many forms of discrimination. She does an exceptional job detailing each of these histories and explaining how they affect Britain today. Whether you are actively studying British literature or are just interested in how another country deals with (and continues to justify) racism, classism, sexism, and anti-Semitism, you will find lots of useful, surprising, and relevant information in 'Culture Wars in British Literature.'"

— San Francisco Book Review

"Tracy Prince's book brings an impressive set of voices into dialogue on the complexity of community-building and national identity — analyzing important aspects of British culture which are not fully represented in anthologies or literary histories."

— R. Victoria Arana, Professor of English, Howard University

"Writing with great lucidity and welcome originality, Tracy J. Prince explores how an increasingly multicultural Britain defines itself, and is defined, through literature and a literary establishment still dominated by an Anglo-English elite."

— Tamar Heller, Associate Professor of English & Comparative Literature, University of Cincinnati

"It is precisely in its analysis of this 'Anglo centeredness' and its sensitive treatment of the many other voices that comprise modern British writing that this book's strength lies. We have no hesitation in recommending 'Culture Wars in British Literature' to anyone with an interest in the complexities of modern British culture and in particular the difficulty of establishing a separate and distinct Anglo-Welsh identity within the mainstream."

— Ceri Shaw, AmeriCymru's "Welsh Magazine"

About the Author

Tracy J. Prince is a Research Professor at Portland State University's American Indian Teacher Program in Oregon, USA. She has spent her career teaching and writing about race, gender, and social equity issues and has taught in or spent extensive research time in Turkey, Australia, England, Canada, and throughout the United States.

  • Format
  • paperback
  • Pages
  • 224
  • Language
  • english
  • ISBN
  • 9780786462940
  • Genres
  • history, politics, cultural, sociology, academic, literature
  • Release date
  • 2012