List of figures                            ix
        List of tables                             xi
        List of contributors                       xii
Preface                                            xiii
Introduction: Britain in the modern world          1   (7)
    Institutional Britain                          8   (1)
    Popular culture                                9   (1)
    Schooling                                      9   (1)
    Methodology                                    10  (1)
    Politics                                       11  (1)
    Society                                        12  (1)
    Culture                                        12  (1)
    Sport                                          13  (1)
    Xenophobia                                     14  (1)
    Postmodernism                                  15  (1)
    Media                                          15  (1)
    Language                                       16  (5)
      The Sunday Times Rich List                   16  (1)
      The Observer: Britain Uncovered              17  (1)
      Channel 5: An A-Z of Britishness             18  (1)
      England, England                             19  (2)
    Individualism                                  21  (1)
    Heroes                                         22  (1)
    Princess Diana                                 22  (2)
    The Beckhams                                   24  (1)
    Media celebrities                              25  (1)
    Business                                       26  (1)
    Reality television                             26  (1)
    Dumbing down                                   27  (8)
      British Cultural Identities structure        29  (2)
      Exercises                                    31  (1)
      Reading                                      32  (1)
      Cultural examples                            33  (1)
      Websites                                     34  (1)
  Places and peoples: nation and region            35  (38)
    Nation                                         43  (1)
    Country                                        44  (4)
    Region                                         48  (4)
    County                                         52  (3)
    City                                           55  (4)
    Town                                           59  (2)
    Village                                        61  (3)
    Conclusion                                     64  (9)
      Exercises                                    69  (1)
      Reading                                      70  (1)
      Cultural examples                            70  (1)
      Websites                                     71  (2)
  Education, work, and leisure                     73  (38)
    Schools                                        75  (3)
    Colleges and universities                      78  (1)
    Educational changes and trends                 79  (4)
    Employment                                     83  (4)
    Unemployment and economic change               87  (3)
    Leisure around the home                        90  (2)
    Public entertainment                           92  (8)
    New patterns in leisure                        100 (3)
    Trends in entertainment                        103 (4)
    Conclusion                                     107 (4)
      Exercises                                    108 (1)
      Reading                                      109 (1)
      Cultural examples                            109 (1)
      Websites                                     110 (1)
  Gender, sex, and the family                      111 (28)
    The family unit                                114 (3)
    Gender and British institutions                117 (3)
    Women and employment                           120 (3)
    Marriage and divorce                           123 (3)
    Parenting                                      126 (2)
    Sexuality and identity                         128 (6)
    Conclusion                                     134 (5)
      Exercises                                    135 (1)
      Reading                                      136 (1)
      Cultural examples                            136 (1)
      Websites                                     137 (2)
  Youth culture and style                          139 (36)
    Youth, teenagers, and adolescents              143 (2)
    Going out: `dressing up and dressing down'     145 (6)
    Staying in: young people and the media         151 (5)
    Sex and drugs and rock'n'roll                  156 (7)
    Conclusion                                     163 (12)
      Exercises                                    170 (1)
      Reading                                      171 (1)
      Cultural examples                            172 (1)
      Websites                                     173 (2)
  Class and polities                               175 (34)
    The upper class                                179 (4)
    The middle class                               183 (4)
    The working class                              187 (4)
    Social change                                  191 (1)
    The nature of politics                         192 (3)
    Party politics                                 195 (4)
    Voting behaviour                               199 (4)
    Conclusion                                     203 (6)
      Exercises                                    205 (1)
      Reading                                      205 (1)
      Cultural examples                            205 (2)
      Websites                                     207 (2)
  Ethnicity and language                           209 (30)
    Varieties of English                           213 (4)
    Gaelic, Scots, Welsh                           217 (6)
    New languages, new identities                  223 (9)
    Conclusion                                     232 (7)
      Exercises                                    236 (1)
      Reading                                      236 (1)
      Cultural examples                            237 (1)
      Websites                                     238 (1)
  Religion and heritage                            239 (34)
    The established church                         245 (4)
    Background religion                            249 (2)
    Other world religions in Britain               251 (4)
    Religious festivals                            255 (3)
    The New Age                                    258 (4)
    Religious differences: age and sex             262 (2)
    The heritage industry                          264 (4)
    Conclusion                                     268 (5)
      Exercises                                    269 (1)
      Reading                                      270 (1)
      Cultural examples                            270 (1)
      Websites                                     271 (2)
Conclusion: Britain towards the future             273 (20)
    Europe                                         276 (5)
    Multiethnic Britain                            281 (5)
    New technology                                 286 (2)
    Conclusion                                     288 (5)
      Exercises                                    289 (1)
      Reading                                      289 (1)
      Cultural examples                            289 (1)
      Websites                                     290 (3)
Glossary                                           293 (6)
Index                                              299