The English stand now in need of a new sense of home and belonging - a reassessment of who they are. This is a history of who they were, written from the perspective of the twenty-first century. It begins by considering how the English state identified an English nation which, from very early days, seems to have seen itself as not simply the creature of state or king. It considers also how in modern times the English nation survived shattering revolutions in technology, urban living, and global conflict, while at the same time retaining a softer, more human vision of themselves as a people in touch with their nature and their land. They claimed that there was more to living in England than work and wages, there was more to running a vast empire than just exploiting it. For all its faults and inequalities, they identified with their state. For all their shortcomings they were confident of their place in history. As little as forty years ago, these ideas were not much in doubt. Though vague and often contradictory, they held together as the English people held together -as a whole. Indeed, 'Englishness' was hardly recognized as a subject for analysis, except perhaps in a rather ironic and self-mocking vein. But now 'the national question' is back and history is at the top of the agenda. From a rich store of historical memory and possibility, Robert Colls connects the identity of England in the past with the changing and uncertain identity of England today.
Reviews
[A] scholarly study which sheds much light on the marginalisation of a peculiarly reticent culture. * Paul Lay, BBC History Magazine, Book of the Year 2004 *
[A] tonic re-assessment that assigns as much significance to the cheap and post modern as to the barnacled bulwarks of English culture. * Gordon Burn, The Observer, Book of the Year 2003 *
Of the many books that have come out about the question of England over the past few years, Robert Coll's Identity of England brings together serious scholarship, the pulse of the personal and a passion for inquiry into this compelling subject. * Melvyn Bragg, The Observer, Books of the Year 2002 *
Provocatively argued and pungently expressed ... A crucial issue [and] a great book ... It is thought-provoking, sophisticated, drawing on a wide range of intellectual resources, and offering hard-edged analysis. * Stephen Howe, The Independent *
Colls' probing new study shows that the English have been reinventing themselves all along ... A fine and engagingly personal book. * John Gardiner, BBC History Magazine *
One of the finest books on this complex and difficult subject it is possible to imagine. * Simon Heffer, Literary Review *
[Identity of England] sinks deep shafts into the national history. * Paul Laity, London Review of Books *
A highly focused assessment of our national self ... Colls is strong on the economic and political imperatives at play ... The discussion is coherent and well documented and the concluding section, "England Now", is pretty chilling. * Tribune *
[Identity of England] allies brilliant perception with common sense. * Michael Kerrigan, The Scotsman (Four Stars) *
[The] best introduction to the English example. * J M Roberts, Oxford Magazine *
A totally fascinating sweep across the subject. * Melvyn Bragg, The Good Book Guide *
Colls has produced a deeply felt, zestfully written book which makes an important contribution to the ongoing debate about the national identity. * Jeffrey Richards, Cultural and Social History *
[The] breadth of reading and allusion recalls the late Raphael Samuel. * Hugh Kearney, History Workshop Journal *
[A] masterly summary of the emergence of the idea of an English nation ... a profound and balanced account. * Bernard Crick, Political Quarterly *
Sensitive, subtle, deeply human. * Chris Williams, American Historical Review *
[A] sophisticated and scholarly study of some breadth. * Munira Mirza, Culture Wars *
This is us he's writing about... * Munira Mirza, Q News *



Book Information
ISBN 9780199269945
Author Robert Colls
Format Paperback
Page Count 426
Imprint Oxford University Press
Publisher Oxford University Press
Weight(grams) 1g
Dimensions(mm) 234mm * 156mm * 24mm