The Cambridge Companion to Modern British Culture

by Michael Higgins, Clarissa Smith, John Storey

Overview

British culture today is the product of a shifting combination of tradition and experimentation, national identity and regional and ethnic diversity. These distinctive tensions are expressed in a range of cultural arenas, such as art, sport, journalism, fashion, education, and race. This Companion addresses these and other major aspects of British culture, and offers a sophisticated understanding of what it means to study and think about the diverse cultural landscapes of contemporary Britain. Each contributor looks at the language through which culture is formed and expressed, the political and institutional trends that shape culture, and at the role of culture in daily life. This interesting and informative account of modern British culture embraces controversy and debate, and never loses sight of the fact that Britain and Britishness must always be understood in relation to the increasingly international context of globalisation.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780521683463
Publisher:	Cambridge University Press
Publication date:	08/19/2010
Series:	Cambridge Companions to Culture
Pages:	340
Product dimensions:	5.90(w) x 8.90(h) x 0.70(d)

About the Author

Michael Higgins is Lecturer in English and Journalism at the University of Strathclyde.

Clarissa Smith is Senior Lecturer in Media and Cultural Studies in the School of Art, Design and Media, University of Sunderland.

John Storey is Professor of Cultural Studies and Director of the Centre for Research in Media and Cultural Studies, University of Sunderland.

Table of Contents

Chronology; Introduction: modern British culture Michael Higgins, Clarissa Smith and John Storey; 1. Becoming British John Storey; 2. Language developments in British English David Crystal; 3. Schooling and culture Ken Jones; 4. The changing character of political communication John Street; 5. Contemporary Britain and its regions John Tomaney; 6. Contemporary British cinema Sarah Street; 7. Contemporary British fiction Patricia Waugh; 8. Contemporary British poetry Alex Goody; 9. Theatre in modern British culture Michael Mangan; 10. Contemporary British television Jane Arthurs; 11. British art in the twenty-first century Valerie Reardon; 12. British fashion Caroline Evans; 13. Sport in contemporary Britain Ellis Cashmore; 14. British sexual cultures Clarissa Smith; 15. British popular music, popular culture and exclusivity Sheila Whiteley; 16. British newspapers today Michael Higgins; 17. The struggle for ethno-religious equality in Britain: the place of the Muslim community Tariq Madood; Guide to further reading; Index.