Media and Collective identity What is it to be British?

Section B: Contemporary Media Issues Section B of the Critical Perspectives exam is based on the set topic, Media and Collective Identity. We will be studying a range of texts, theories and debates whilst focussing on several in class case studies. You will also be asked to conduct some individual research on your own case studies.

Areas of study The exam board ask each student to consider a set of prompt questions for each topic, which they will be expected to respond to in the exam. For the Media and Collective Identity topic these are the questions: How do contemporary media represent collective nations/regions in different ways? How does contemporary representations compare to previous time periods? What are the social implications of different representations? To what extent is human identity increasingly ‘mediated’? We will be working our way through these questions over the term.

Do now:The Geography Test Task: From the map of the UK identify the following places: –Wales –Liverpool –The Highlands –Newcastle –The lake district –Belfast

The British Culture Test What city were the Beatles from? What meat do you traditionally eat Yorkshire pudding with? What are the Conservative party also known as? Who was the King/Queen during the Victorian era? What is the symbol of the England football team? Which of the four UK nations has St. David as its patron saint? Who is Emily Bronte? What happened in 1066? What is a loch? What is the UK’s second largest city?

When we talk about Britain what do we mean? TASK 1: What is “Britishness”? Brainstorm a list of elements that you consider make something British. TASK 2: Discuss: As a percentage how British are you? What is the most British thing about you? How much do you feel a part of Britain? Does being British shape a part of your personal identity? ‘There ain’t no black in the Union Jack’

The Citizenship Test. The government recognised that lots of immigrants that have become British citizens didn’t identify themselves as British or know much about British culture. It is claimed by some as one of the reasons for young Muslim men, born and raised in this country to turn to extremist forms of Islam and then terrorism. They see themselves as Muslims first, their ethnicity second, and British a distant third. The Citizenship test was brought in after the July 7 th bombings in London. It is now a compulsory test for anyone wanting to emigrate to the UK. The citizenship test have been criticised. Why?

Nationality versus Ethnicity What’s the difference between nationality and ethnicity? Is being British to do with birth or is it to do with habits and beliefs? If you are born and raised in the UK shouldn’t you identify more with this country than the country of your fore fathers?

Booyakashaa! Is Ali G British? What would you say about his cultural identity? Why is Ali G funny? BFI Screenonline: Da Ali G Show (2000) Watch this clip and consider modern ‘Britishness’.