POST 112 PZ -Old Living in an Old Country: British National Identies since 1945

Institution: Pitzer

Description: In the seventy years since the end of WWII, Britain has undergone a turbulent transition from global empire to a second-rank European power, from a United Kingdom to an often divided nation. This course examines Britain’s kaleidoscopic national identities - European, British, English, Scottish, Irish and Welsh - through their representation in popular culture and their place in the nations’ politics.

The course has three components. First it provides a broad historical sweep through state and identity formation in the British Isles. This that covers the key moments from the formation of the Union in the early eighteenth century, through the creation of the British Empire in the nineteenth century to the emergence of a more democratic Britishness during and immediately after the Second World War. Second, the course examines how the notions of Britishness established over the previous two centuries were challenged and transformed by the politics of nationalism and unionism in England, Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales,; the social and cultural impact of mass migration first from the Empire and then from post cold war European Union; Third, cutting across both of the pervious course themes, students will look at key elements of British popular culture -sport, television, cinema, comedy, music - since the Second World War, examining their role in the making and unmaking of British national identities

Prerequisite(s): Please check course schedule for requirements.

For up-to-date information on current course offerings and details, please refer to the Pitzer class schedule on MyCampus2 Portal.