Academic literature on the topic 'British'

This essay is a context statement in critical defence of my submission for the degree of Ph.D by Published Works in keeping with the requirements of MIddlesex University as laid down in the Guidance Notes dated April 1996. The underlying theme of the submission is that my published works serve to illustrate my belief that it is imperative to locate British Jewish history within the broader framework of British history. Thus, I have not limited my research and writing to one issue, event or section of British Jewish society, rather I have sought to develop a historiographical style which exemplifies the way in which individuals, groups and events, within and beyond the framework of Anglo-Jewry, interface and interact. Historical phenomena do not occur in a vacuum and it is imperative to understand what is taking place beyond the perimeters of ethinicity in order to fully comprehend both immigrant and receiving societies' actions and responses. In my most recent works I have taken this one stage further with the recognition that, in what is increasingly a multi-ethnic society, it is vital both to locate British Jewish history within that of the wider British immigrant/settler experience and to see it as a constituent of specific communities in order that comparisons and contrasts can be made and, where possible, lessons learnt.

This research examines the relationship between British accents and their stereotypes. It looks specifically at the ratings of British and American subjects for a variety of British regional and standard accents, and examines them in contrast with observed stereotypes about these accents. The purpose of this paper is to compare the reactions of British and American participants in order to understand whether the stereotypes associated with these accents are purely socially constructed by British society, or whether qualities of each accent support these stereotypes. Results found a similar trend in the ratings of both American and British participants, though it is hypothesized that this is due to confounding variables.

Abstract. This thesis examines how the Industrial Revolution was perceived and presented in British art of the Industrial Revolution. This is done by analysing selected paintings of the Industrial Revolution by painters who are considered to be among the most influential figures in British art, these being Joseph Wright of Derby, J.M.W. Turner and Ford Madox Brown. The three painters in question represent different stages of the Industrial Revolution, with Wright of Derby presenting its infancy, Turner presenting its peak and Madox Brown presenting its after-effects. The analysis of their works is supplemented with historical perspectives of the Industrial Revolution by both historians and polemic writers and artists. The paintings chosen for analysis are selected according to their relevance to the Industrial Revolution, with their cultural significance being considered as well. The study is focused on social developments over the course of the Industrial Revolution, and so the ways in which the Industrial Revolution changed and shaped British society are key elements in the analysis. The historical perspectives maintain that while the Industrial Revolution brought advancements in industry and transportation, it also led to working people living destitute lives, and it also caused immense pollution in urban areas, thus causing an increase in death rate in Britain. The polemic views claim that the Industrial Revolution caused the decline of the British countryside and led to the negligence of natural beauty to facilitate the increase of factories. The people who worked in factories had very limited options in their life, as their managers largely had complete control over them, and could thus abuse their workforce to optimise production. The analysis found that the advancements of the Industrial Revolution were initially viewed with optimistic inquisitiveness along with feelings of wariness owing to the uncertainties regarding the advancements which were yet to come. Later on, the advancements became a regular part of life so that even wary observers adapted to them and altered their ways of thinking. Eventually the advancements led to the differences between social classes increasing, causing unemployment and general hardship among the working class. Industrialisation ultimately shaped British society so that it changed irrevocably, and common people ended up in a predicament where they had to adapt to the changes in the world they knew, regardless of how they felt about the changes in question.Tiivistelmä. Tämän tutkielman tarkoituksena on selvittää, miten teollinen vallankumous ilmeni vallankumouksenaikaisessa brittiläisessä kuvataiteessa ja millä tavoin siihen suhtauduttiin. Tutkielmassa analysoidaan valittuja maalauksia, joiden tekijöitä pidetään Brittiläisen taiteen tärkeimpinä edustajina. Kyseiset taiteilijat, Joseph Wright of Derby, J.M.W. Turner sekä Ford Madox Brown, edustavat teollisen vallankumouksen eri vaiheita. Wright of Derby edustaa vallankumouksen alkuvaiheita, Turner sen huippua ja Madox Brown sen jälkivaikutuksia. Historioitsijoiden sekä vallankumouksenaikaisten kirjailijoiden ja taiteilijoiden näkemykset tukevat maalausten analysointia. Tutkimusaineistona olevat maalaukset on valittu niiden kulttuurisen arvon sekä sen perusteella, miten paljon ne ovat yhteydessä teolliseen vallankumoukseen. Tutkielma keskittyy yhteiskunnassa tapahtuneisiin muutoksiin teollisen vallankumouksen aikana, joten teollisen vallankumouksen vaikutukset brittiläiseen yhteiskuntaan ovat tärkeässä osassa tässä tutkielmassa. Historiallisten näkökulmien mukaan teollinen vallankumous johti teollisuuden ja kulkuneuvojen kehitykseen, mutta aiheutti myös köyhyyttä ja kaupunkialueiden saastumista, mitkä puolestaan johtivat kuolleisuusasteen nousuun Britanniassa. Kirjailijoiden ja taiteilijoiden mielestä teollinen vallankumous aiheutti brittiläisen maaseudun alasajon ja johti teollisuuden leviämisen kautta yleiseen välinpitämättömyyteen luonnon suhteen. Tehtaissa työskentelevillä ihmisillä oli erittäin vähän valinnanvapauksia, sillä työnjohtajilla oli heihin suhteessa täysi ylivalta, ja he saattoivat väärinkäyttää valtaansa tuoton maksimoimiseksi. Analyysin kautta selvisi, että teollisen vallankumouksen tuomiin muutoksiin suhtauduttiin aluksi optimistisen uteliaasti ja toisaalta tulevaisuuden epävarmuuksien vuoksi varovaisesti. Myöhemmin näistä muutoksista tuli tavallinen osa elämää, ja näin varovaisemmatkin ihmiset sopeutuivat niihin ja muokkasivat omia ajatusmaailmojaan. Nämä muutokset lopulta johtivat luokkaerojen kasvamiseen, mikä puolestaan johti varsinkin työnväenluokan työttömyyteen. Teollistuminen muutti brittiläistä yhteiskuntaa pysyvästi, ja tavallinen kansa joutui tilanteeseen, jossa heidän täytyi sopeutua siihen, että heidän tuntemansa maailma muuttui riippumatta siitä, miten he itse suhtautuivat näihin muutoksiin.

This project describes the work of three contemporary British novelists as they explore the possibility of self-identifying as black and British in contemporary Britain, despite the prevalence of racist attitudes that hold that these two identities are mutually exclusive. The three novels examined -- The Buddha of Suburbia by Hanif Kureishi, White Teeth by Zadie Smith, and Brick Lane by Monica Ali -- present black protagonists who self-identify as British. While other characters in the novels either conform to assimilationist or diasporic models of identity, where the subject seeks to expunge all "black" characteristics in favour of conforming to stereotypical "white" cultural norms, or retreat from "white" characteristics into an essentialized version of the values of their "home" countries, Karim, Irie, and Nazneen establish spaces for themselves within British society that allow them to try on different identities. By acknowledging the variability of identity, all three protagonists are able to self-identify as being both black and British.