What does it mean to be British?

In groups, can you answer the next ten questions taken from the British citizenship test?Use A,B,C and D to answer.

We are learning to understand the elements of shared British identity so that we can identify ten elements of Britishness.

Answers

1. A2. C3. D4. A5. A

6. D7. D 8. B9. B10.B

How did you do?

Consider these questions in your groups1. Are these answers important to know if you

are going to take part in British culture?2. Is there anything from the test missing?3. Do we even need to give a test to

prospective British citizens?

Read these articles to help your discussion

http://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/guardianwitness-blog/2014/jun/09/scottish-independence-10-things-that-sum-up-britishness http://www.bsa-31.natcen.ac.uk/read-the-report/key-findings/britain-2014.aspx

In small groups...distill 10 aspects of what it means to be British. This needs to be values and or beliefs. not food!

Collect together on the board before the end to come up with your classes definition of Britishness.

To really challenge you…[undergraduate text]

He defined a nation as "an imagined political community - and imagined

as both inherently limited and sovereign". Members hold in their minds a

mental image of their affinity: for example, the nationhood felt with other

members of your nation when your "imagined community" participates in

a larger event such as the Olympic Games.

A nation "is imagined because the members of even the smallest nation

will never know most of their fellow-members, meet them, or even hear

of them, yet in the minds of each lives the image of their communion".

Members of the community probably will never know each of the other

members face to face; However, they may have similar interests or

identify as part of the same nation.

So is being British imaginary?!

Benedict Anderson -Professor Emeritus of International Studies, Government & Asian Studies at Cornell University,

Want to find out more?

http://www.theguardian.com/books/2004/jun/12/history.highereducation

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Imagined-Communities-Reflections-Nationalism-Edition/dp/1844670864/?tag=digitalca0daa104-21