Bloomsbury Academic
Britain Before Brexit: Historical Essays on Britain and Europe
Key Metrics
- Bernard Porter
- Bloomsbury Academic
- Paperback
- 9781350204744
- -
- -
- History > Europe - Great Britain - 21st Century
- English
Secure TransactionBook Description
Why do the Brexiteers want to leave? Why do the Remainers want to stay? What exactly would a post-Brexit Europe look like?
These questions have dominated the post- Brexit socio-political landscape. In this timely and engaging book Bernard Porter responds to these questions. Each chapter presents different historical episodes contributing to an overall understanding of what Porter calls Britain's most important move in her national life since she risked her whole being to go to war with Germany in 1939. The book comprises a collection of well-researched and considered chapters ranging from Britain's 'asylum' policy for European refugees in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, to 'terrorism' in mainland Britain, and governments responses to it.
Porter draws from a range of sources and personal experiences to investigate the cultural and social history that led us (or which specifically didn't lead us) to the decision to leave the European Union. The result is an engaging and personal analysis of Britain's distinctive 'identity', and on its former relations with Europe
Author Bio
Academic historian, emeritus prof, author of many books, essayist, reviewer. Loving sambo (partner) of Kajsa Ohrlander, feminist and postmodernist academic. Living in Stockholm, Svartsö (an island in the Stockholm archipelago) and Hull, UK City of Culture 2017. Ex-wife Deirdre; three children, six grandchildren, two bonusbarn, and two bonusbarnbarn.
Born in Hornchurch, Essex, but consider myself a Northerner by adoption; share all their prejudices against the South. Educated Ardleigh Green Primary, Brentwood School and Corpus Christi College, Cambridge. Resigned Fellowship there because of its admissions policy. Taught at the universities of Hull (the best), Newcastle, Yale, Sydney, Stockholm and Copenhagen. Ex-set designer for dramatics. Ex-painter. Ex-lots of things, in fact, but rather worn out now. Academic areas: modern British imperialism, xenophobia and -philia, spooks, Victorian architecture. Politics: ‘Old’ Labour. Religion: agnostic. Favourite philosopher: Karl Marx. Favourite music: Haydn, Berlioz, Elgar, Billie Holliday, Duke Ellington, Brenda Lee, the Housemartins, Ray Charles. Literature: Shakespeare, Ursula le Guin. Favourite painters: Turner, Klee, Botticelli, Frank Hampson. Other heroes: Jesus Christ (the ‘echt’ one, shorn of the ‘Christianity’); Barbara Castle; Bobby Moore; Graham Gooch; Desmond Tutu.
Other enthusiasms: architecture, especially old churches; travel (in comfort). Favourite foods: too many to name. Hence paunchy. Supporter of West Ham United and Essex County Cricket Club for 60+ years. Usually much more modestly bearded than in the pic. But just as depressed-looking.
Source: bernardjporter.com
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