Brexit and the emergence of a new English identity
National identities change slowly but because of Brexit they are undergoing dramatic changes in the United Kingdom. This is particularly true for the English national identity. The report « Brexit and public opinion 2019 » by the UK in a Changing Europe shows how Brexit is viewed by British citizens...
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| Izdano u: | URI:https://journals.openedition.org/osb, |
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| Format: | Article ou chapitre numérique |
| Jezik: | Anglais |
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Observatoire de la société britannique
2023
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| Online pristup: | Accès Université d'Orléans et IFPM Accès Université d'Orléans et IFPM |
| Sažetak: | National identities change slowly but because of Brexit they are undergoing dramatic changes in the United Kingdom. This is particularly true for the English national identity. The report « Brexit and public opinion 2019 » by the UK in a Changing Europe shows how Brexit is viewed by British citizens. Among those who describe themselves as English, not British, there is strong support, not only for Brexit, but for « hard » Brexit. As a matter of fact, one of the consequences of the referendum result is that it has reinforced a feeling of national belonging among English citizens. They have the impression that their identity is threatrened by several factors: inequalities linked to devolution, the cost and terms of EU membership and above all the scale and impact of immigration. As a matter of fact, the leave campaign and the pro-Brexit press were focused on immigration and one of their main arguments was that the country had to tighten border controls. This reshaping of the English national identity is also linked to a context in which the elites and the media are not trusted any more, a context favourable to populist leaders. The impact of Brexit on national identities in the United Kingdom is tremendous: since it reveals the vacuity of British identity, it may hasten Irish unification and Scottish separation.The final resolution of an identity crisis is the emergence of a new identity. With Brexit, we see the formation of a new English identity which is nationalist, anti-EU and which regards foreigners as a threat. |
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