Abstract
In the recent decades, it seems that many scholars have tried to find when and how nationalism was born among the English people. Some of them have argued that the starting point of English nationalism took place in the medieval period; others think that it was created in the early-modern period or even during a later stage. In any case, many of them insisted that the period they study was the one that witnessed the birth of nationalism, which seems totally biased. While the number of studies made on this subject is growing, Krishan Kumar published in 2003 his research 'The Making of English National Identity'. Contrary to ' other studies, this one has been carried out in a different way: the author embraces the whole history of England, from its creation to the present day, explaining and challenging the theses of many major scholars of nationalism regarding the moment when English identity was created.
Krishan Kumar is a professor of Sociology and a department chair at the University of Virginia. His studies and interests tend to focus on empires and their people, nationalism and national identity, well represented in 'The Making of English National Identity'. This work seems to have had a real impact on contemporary debates regarding multiculturalism and English identity, owing to his deep reflection on the subject, and also on the appearance of a new school of nationalism, in which he plays a significant role.
What he argues is that “it is not until the late nineteenth century, at the earliest, that we find a clear concern with questions of Englishness” . He means that English nationalism did not exist before the end of the nineteenth century. According to him, a concrete definition of the terms ‘English identity' and ‘Englishness' is of major importance. In order to show that, he analyzes each period chronologically, refuting the theses which have been done about the rise of nationalism in each period. He begins with the creation of England and the Anglo-Saxons, the medieval times, and then turns his attention to the early modern period and the making of the empire of Great Britain as well as “Greater Britain”. Subsequently, he focuses on the nineteenth century with the “moment of Englishness” and ends up by analyzing the twentieth century and contemporary times through multiculturalism, including hypotheses about what would challenge the English identity in the future.
I will initially explain the author's definition of Englishness and English identity, followed by an analysis on why, according to the author, there was no sense of English identity before the nineteenth century. Finally, my analysis will turn to the making of English identity and the current situation of nationalism in Britain.
