5 British, English, Scottish?
Watch this video, What does being British mean to Britain? [Tip: hold Ctrl and click a link to open it in a new tab. (Hide tip)] about the British national census in 2011 and national identity. Following this, answer the questions below.
Activity 7
What characteristics seem to have an impact on whether participants see themselves as English only or British only? Share your answer to this question in the discussion below.
Discussion
Ethnicity, age, class, heritage
According to how it is portrayed in this short clip, what do you think is the difference between Englishness and Britishness?
Discussion
According to the video, ‘British’ seems to be a less restrictive, more inclusive label. More people seem to feel accepted here. This video was made in 2013 and if you live in Britain, you might have felt that labels like Welsh, English, Scottish and British have undergone more changes in light of Brexit (see also Wincott, 2018 and Pattie and Johnston, 2017, for example).
You might have noticed that the interviewees struggled a bit with explaining exactly why a certain label applied to them. Why do you think is that? Note down your thoughts in the box below.
Discussion
Identifying with a culture is usually not a conscious decision. Emotions like the feelings of belonging and acceptance build up over time and are sometimes difficult to link to tangible moments or events.