‘What about Us?’ The Rise and Rise of English Nationalism?

Abstract

Much has been made of the rise of English nationalism, reflected in the strong association of ‘being English’ and voting Leave in the Brexit referendum in 2016. This article examines recent books on Englishness, arguing that this is a complex and nuanced matter embedded in accreted myths. If there is a thoroughgoing ‘nationalism’ emerging in England, it requires not only significant and long-lasting shifts in national identity, but a conception of ‘England’ as an imagined community which is robust and relevant to modern social and cultural life. Furthermore, it requires a nationalism which is part of wider and ongoing political project, rather than a short-term political expedient such as Conservative mobilisation post-Brexit. The article argues that an older debate in the 1960s and 1970s, between Tom Nairn and E.P. Thompson sheds significant light on the origins and nature of Englishness, such that it has progressive rather than reactionary potential.