The Making of English National Identity

Why Is English National Identity So Enigmatic And So Elusive? Why Unlike The Scots Welsh Irish And Most Of Continental Europe Do The English Find It So Difficult To Say Who They Are? The Making Of English National Identity First Published In 2003 Is A Fascinating Exploration Of Englishness And What It Means To Be English. Drawing On Historical Sociological And Literary Theory Krishan Kumar Examines The Rise Of English Nationalism And Issues Of Race And Ethnicity From Earliest Times To The Present Day. He Argues That The Long History Of The English As An Imperial People Has As With Other Imperial People Like The Russians And The Austrians Developed A Sense Of Missionary Nationalism Which In The Interests Of Unity And Empire Has Necessitated The Repression Of Ordinary Expressions Of Nationalism. Professor Kumar''S Lively And Provocative Approach Challenges Readers To Reconsider Their Pre-Conceptions About National Identity And Who The English Really Are.