The Reinvention of Britain: British National Identity and the European Community, 1967-1975

J. Meade Klingensmith

Location

Science Center, A255

Document Type

Presentation

Start Date

4-27-2012 4:00 PM

End Date

4-27-2012 5:00 PM

Abstract

The focus of British political history on “great” leaders often relegates social history to a separate sphere. This study seeks to bridge that divide by combining an analysis of the letters-to-the-editor section of British newspapers during the debate over whether Britain should join the European Community—the predecessor to the European Union—and a political history of this era. My findings indicate that the public contest over British national identity and the actions of political leaders were intimately intertwined–and, in turn, indicate that social history and political history should not be separated.

Notes

Session III, Panel 4: Empire, Agency, and the Body Politic in Late Modernity
Moderator: Clayton Koppes, Professor of History

Full text thesis available here.

Major

History

Advisor(s)

Renee Romano, History

Project Mentor(s)

Leonard V. Smith, History

April 2012

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Apr 27th, 4:00 PM Apr 27th, 5:00 PM

The Reinvention of Britain: British National Identity and the European Community, 1967-1975

Science Center, A255

The focus of British political history on “great” leaders often relegates social history to a separate sphere. This study seeks to bridge that divide by combining an analysis of the letters-to-the-editor section of British newspapers during the debate over whether Britain should join the European Community—the predecessor to the European Union—and a political history of this era. My findings indicate that the public contest over British national identity and the actions of political leaders were intimately intertwined–and, in turn, indicate that social history and political history should not be separated.