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Текст реферата Великобритания - традиции и современность. Личное представление. (UK - Tradition and modernity. A personal view)
UK- Tradition and modernity. A personal view
“A culture is the sum of all the things by which humanity can choose
to differ” I have chosen to paraphrase Brian Eno’s (British musician)
words about culture to start my essay with because they are related to
the issue of multiculturalism that I wish to approach in my paper.
Starting from my belief that a country is what her people are, I think
that the complex and diverse nature of today’s British society can be
better understood if we take a close look at the ones who are actually
forming this society- the British people Since the battle of
Hastings…. Say the word “British” and the thoughts of most people
would be directed to the language of Shakespeare, to the famous
British accent, to the royal succession, to Big Ben, to the 5 o’clock
tea, to the black humor, to the bowler hat and so on. About fifty
years ago…Say the words “British people” and the following might cross
their minds: conservative, traditional, polite, stiff, moderate.
Nowadays…Say the words “ British identity” and you might find it
described only by “fluctuating”. “Strange”, you might add, arguing
that a portrait of “British” people or on the meaning of “being
British” can be drawn in precise lines. In fact, just above, people
proved to have long-established guide marks when it comes to sketching
them. A simple, new and controverse word such as “fluctuating” seems
rather unsuitable to stand near the traditional and well-known
“British identity”. Still, the significance of “fluctuating British
identity” might pop anxiously in your mind, arising the curiosity to
search for even a seed of truth in it. And, if that’s the case, I
believe the starting point should be the very basic element of this
identity: the character and personality of the British people. The key
question to be reviewed is whether a single and unvaried British
temper entered the gates of this millenium. A return to the historic
events might provide part of the answer to this. After the Second
World War, Britain faced an influx of European refugees. As a result
of it, sizeable groups of Americans, Australians, Chinese and even
Indian or Pakistani settled down and concentrated in communities in
particular British areas. “Unsettled Multiculturalism” written by B.
Hesse gives a detailed description of the process, concluding that
throughout the following decades, the new foreign-born element of the
population induced by the immigration waves reflected its own image in
the British identity. The cultural prints left are in fact the
assumptions and aspirations, the values and believes of each
community, that have shaped and outlined the country’s identity.
Nowadays precisely this diversity of backgrounds and experience define
Britain as a multicultural country. The traditional “Being British”
has certainly taken centuries to forge but I strongly support that
only by submitting to a modern and constant process of renewal with
elements from
