Civilisation anglophone (CIVA701_LLCE)

From multiculturalism to interculturalism in the UK?

This course seeks to understand the history and development of the United Kingdom as a multicultural nation. It begins by discussing early attempts to subsume the four distinct cultural identities of the different nations of the British Isles under a common notion of Britishness. It seeks to understand existing tensions in Britain as these national and community identities are (re)asserted. It then moves on to address the rise of the idea of multiculturalism from the 1960s onwards in the context of increased immigration to Britain from the former colonies of Empire. It looks at the sometimes schizophrenic way that the British State has sought to engage with multiculturalism via community cohesion programmes, race relations legislation and strict immigration laws.

The aim is to encourage students to adopt a critical approach to issues of identity and race.