Celebrating British multiculturalism, lamenting England/Britain's past

Abstract

Drawing upon Littler and Naidoo's ‘white past, multicultural present’ alignment, this article examines English newspaper coverage of two ‘British’ events held in 2012 (the Diamond Jubilee and the London Olympic Games). In light of recent work on English nationalism, national identity and multiculturalism, this article argues that representations of Britain oscillated between lamentations for an English/British past – marred by decline – and a present that, while being portrayed as both confident and progressive, was beset by latent anxieties. In doing so, ‘past’ reflections of England/Britain were presented as a ‘safe’ and legitimate source of belonging that had subsequently been lost and undermined amidst the diversity of the ‘present’. As a result, feelings of discontent, anxiety and nostalgia were dialectically constructed alongside ‘traditional’ understandings of England/Britain. Indeed, this draws attention to the ways in which particular ‘versions’ of the past are engaged with and the impact that this can have on discussions related to multiculturalism and the multiethnic history of England/Britain.

From mood to movement: English nationalism, the European Union and taking back control

“…Subsequently, while the impact of the British Empire has been widely examined within the literature on both Britain and England (Black 2016a(Black , 2016bKumar 2003;MacKenzie 1984MacKenzie , 2001MacKenzie , 2010Ward 2001;Webster 2005), the post-imperial decline of the UK continues to occupy a prominent place in analyses of British, and, specifically, English nationalism. Although some have sought to examine how the representation of empire remains a constitutive feature of the UK's post-imperial decline, and as a residual resource for English national prestige (Black 2016a;Gilroy 2004Gilroy , 2005Webster 2007), others have argued that references to empire have been grounded in denial and confection rather than acknowledgement (Preston 2014).…”

“…In particular, it will consider that if one is to understand English nationalism as reflecting a clear and distinct national 'mood'evident in English anxieties regarding English nationalism -and if there is the potential for Englishness to form part of a broader political 'movement' -as reflected in the EU referendum -then examining the ways in which feelings of anxiety and nostalgia are played out in interrogations of England's national past, and, specifically, England/Britain's imperial past, can help to elucidate upon both the EU referendum and English nationalism. 2 Second, in contrast to Aughey's (2010) analysis, consideration will then be given to exploring the relationship between English nationalism and its former imperial past (Black 2016a(Black , 2016bBryne 2007;Gilroy 2004Gilroy , 2005Kumar 2003Kumar , 2006Webster 2005;Wellings 2010). In order to offer an alternative, yet illustrative interpretation of this relationship, attention will be given to the comments and work of two opposing individuals: George Orwell and Enoch Powell.…”

“…Third, consideration will be given to examining how post-war discussions on English nationalism have often highlighted a number of cultural anxieties within England (Aughey 2010;Black 2016b;Garner 2010Garner , 2012Kenny 2014;Skey 2011). While previous research has detailed 'a variety of English anxieties about losing ground, both economically and culturally vis-à-vis other groups' (Garner 2010, 18), it remains clear that these sentiments are frequently embroiled within 'a language of (in)equity' that is 'used to mark the distinctions between England and the devolved nations with Britain' (Skey 2011, 122).…”

Conviviality and parallax in David Olusoga’sBlack and British: A Forgotten History

“…This obscurification of history is not only reflected in the biographical accounts that focus on black individuals, but also in the ways in which black history maintains a separated status in accounts of Britain's past (Olusoga, 2016a). Here, the 'tokenistic' depiction of black British history as 'an optional extra' and/or 'a bolt-on addition' works to uphold multiculturalism as a present-centered phenomenon (Black, 2016;Lentin and Titley, 2011;Littler andNaidoo, 2004, 2005). When change does occur, it is often considered in the present, a process that:…”

“…One example of this depoliticization is the way in which 'The Windrush story' is used as a mythic beginning for black British history, cementing the opinion that the black British experience is a relatively recent event (Black, 2016;Littler andNaidoo, 2004, 2005). By framing black history as 'exclusively a history of black settlement in Britain' (Olusoga, 2016a: 523), the experience of black Britons is separated from accounts of 'British history'.…”