National Belonging and Everyday Life : The Significance of Nationhood in an Uncertain World

This bookanalyzes the current debates around national identity and multiculturalism byaddressing three key questions; why do so many people treat as common sense the idea that they live in and belong to nations? And, why, and for whom, might this idea be significant, notably in an era of increasing global uncertainty? This book analyses the current debates around national identity and multiculturalism by addressing three key questions; why do so many people treat as common sense the idea that they live in and belong to nations? And, why, and for whom, might this idea be significant, notably in an era of increasing global uncertainty? Why do so many people take-for-granted the idea that they live in and belong to a nation? Do national identities matter and, if so, to whom? To what extent are processes of globalisation undermining or reinforcing attachments to the nation? Drawing on insights from sociology, social psychology and anthropology, Michael Skey addresses these complex questions by examining the views and attitudes of a group that has been overlooked in much of the recent literature; the ethnic majority. Through a detailed analysis of the ways in which members of the majority in England discuss their own attachments, their anxieties about the future, and, in particular, their relations with minority groups, Skey demonstrates the link between a more settled sense of national belonging and claims to key material and psycho-social resources. By analysing what is at stake for the majority, the book offers a more complete understanding of recent controversies over immigration, multiculturalism and community cohesion in Western settings, as well as a framework for theorising the significance of nationhood in the contemporary era "In this clearly and engagingly written study, Michael Skey explores the often neglected traces of nationalist thinking found in everyday speech, and so provides an important reminder of the distance of much abstract writing about cosmopolitanism from daily experience. Through his sensitive analysis, Skey uncovers forms of anxiety and compensation that are of great relevance to contemporary policy debates in Europe and elsewhere. His book should be of wide interest to researchers and students of cultural and political sociology, media and cultural studies, and nationalism."--Nick Couldry, Professor of Media and Communications, Goldsmiths, University of London, UK 'Michael Skey's book deconstructs the 'common sense' behind banal nationalism and explores the specific political projects of belonging which underlie people's sense of selfhood and community in the contemporary world. The book successfully combines theoretical and empirical investigations and helps to clarify some of the naturalized assumptions about the society we live in.' - Nira Yuval-Davis, Director of the Centre of the Research Centre on Migration, Refugees and Belonging (CMRB), University of East London, UK Why do so many people take-for-granted the idea that they live in and belong to a nation? Do national identities matter and, if so, to whom? To what extent are processes of globalisation undermining or reinforcing attachments to the nation? Drawing on insights from sociology, social psychology and anthropology, Michael Skey addresses these complex questions by examining the views and attitudes of a group that has been overlooked in much of the recent literature; the ethnic majority. Through a detailed analysis of the ways in which members of the majority in England discuss their own attachments, their anxieties about the future, and, in particular, their relations with minority groups, Skey demonstrates the link between a more settled sense of national belonging and claims to key material and psycho-social resources. -- Publisher description. Front Matter....Pages i-ix Introduction: What’s going on?....Pages 1-8 Theorising National Discourse....Pages 9-36 ‘Football, Tea and Racism’: Talking with and about the Nation....Pages 37-65 ‘Aggressively Defensive’: Managing Perceived Threats to the Nation....Pages 66-94 ‘We Knew Who We Were’: Ecstatic Nationalism and Social Solidarity....Pages 95-120 ‘It Broadens Our Horizons’: Are We All Cosmopolitan Now?....Pages 121-147 Conclusions....Pages 148-169 Back Matter....Pages 170-200 Acknowledgements -- Introduction: What's Going On? -- Theorising National Discourse -- 'Football, Tea and Racism': Talking With and About the Nation -- 'Aggressively Defensive': Managing Perceived Threats to the Nation -- 'We Knew Who we Were': Ecstatic Nationalism and Social Solidarity -- 'It Broadens our Horizons': Are We all Cosmopolitan Now? -- Conclusions -- Bibliography -- Endnotes