The Cambridge Companion to Modern British Culture (Cambridge Companions to Culture)

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. Contents......Page 6 Notes on contributors......Page 8 The Formation of Modern British Culture......Page 12 Introduction: modern British culture......Page 18 1 Becoming British......Page 29 2 Language developments in British English......Page 43 3 Schooling and culture......Page 59 4 The changing character of political communications......Page 79 5 Contemporary Britain and its regions......Page 96 6 Contemporary British cinema......Page 113 7 Contemporary British fiction......Page 132 8 Contemporary British poetry......Page 154 9 Theatre in modern British culture......Page 171 10 Contemporary British television......Page 188 11 British art in the twenty-first century......Page 206 12 British fashion......Page 225 13 Sport in contemporary Britain......Page 242 14 British sexual cultures......Page 261 15 British popular music, popular culture and exclusivity......Page 279 16 British newspapers today......Page 296 17 The struggle for ethno-religious equality in Britain: the place of the Muslim community......Page 313 Guide to further reading......Page 331 Index......Page 334 "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"-- Provided by publisher