英语国家概况(英国部分Unit2).ppt

2.5 the Lower or Working Class People who are agricultural, mine and factory workers. Although some people in the UK still refer to themselves as “working-class”, “lower-middle” or “upper-middle” (and of course there are those who think of themselves as the “elite” class), to the majority of the British the meanings don’t seem to matter much these days. Class identity in contemporary Britain Class consciousness What are the elements of the British identity? 2.6 While the content of “Britishness” is shared across most groups, there are important differences in the ways in which different groups and individuals are related to, and identified with, Britishness. UK passport holders all know they are British citizens, but not everyone attaches value or significance to being British. In Scotland and Wales, white and ethnic minority people identify more strongly with each respective country than with Britain. In England, white English perceive themselves as English first and as British second, while ethnic minority people perceive themselves as British, second What are the elements of the British identity? 2.6 not English, a label they associate exclusively with white people. Thus, the people who identify most strongly with Britishness are those from ethnic minority backgrounds resident in England. Ethnic minority people also draw on other sources of identification: religion (for Muslims only); ethnicity (region, country or continent of origins, and their associated cultures); and race or colour (for black Caribbean and black African participants only). These various identities become more or less salient in different situations. They are seen as being compatible with Britishness. What are the elements of the British identity? 2.6 These features suggest that the contemporary British are a very diverse people with varying identities. There has been strong voice arguing for multiculturalism or separate development of cultural groups and the preservation