Studying British Cultures An Introduction

Questioning the myth that Britain consists of a homogeneous people, this collection of essays explores a wide range of critical debates on cultural identity in Britain. With analysis of ways of teaching, as well as reading British culture, this lively and provocative collection is an ideal introduction to this contentious area. Essays cover key issues, such as terminological distinctions between British Studies and British Cultural Studies, the complexities of national cultures and identity in contemporary Britain, models for studying the history and development of conceptions of "Britishness," as well as the study of contemporary Britain in other countries. The contributors to this volume have all been instrumental in establishing British Studies internationally and share the idea of culture as a plurality of discourses, rather than a fixed, unitary concept.

'British Studies' and 'British Cultural Studies' cover a wide range of facets of contemporary Britain. Studying British Cultures: An Introduction is a unique collection of essays which examine the most significant aspects of this quickly developing area of study, analyzing the ways of teaching and reading British culture.The work covers the contemporary and key issues, including: the terminological distinction between 'British Studies' and 'British Cultural Studies' the problem of national cultures and identities in contemporary Britain studying language and literature from a British Studies perspective models for studying the historical context of the development of ideas of `Britishness' studying contemporary Britain overseas The contributors are some of the key names in current debates surrounding British Studies, and Susan Bassnett holds together their work with a substantial and accessible introduction. Studying British Cultures: An Introduction will be essential reading for students and teachers concerned with the study of contemporary Britain.

Introduction. Studying British Cultures Susan Bassnett Part I. 1. But what is Cultural Studies Anthony Easthope 2. Facts and Meaning in British Cultural Studies Alan Durant 3. British Studies: An Educational Perspective Christopher Brumfit 4. Cultural Studies and Foreign Language Teaching Michael Byram 5. Fictional Maps of Britain David Punter Part II. 6. Redefining Scotland Robert Crawford 7. Cymru or Wales: Explorations in a Divided Sensibility Katie Gramich 8. A View of the Present State of Irish Studies Sabina Sharkey 9. Teaching West Indian Literature in Britain David Dabydeen 10. Shakespeare in Quotations John Drakakis Bibliography.

Susan Bassnett is Professor of Comparative Literature at the University of Warwick. She has published extensively on translation, and her best known books include Reflections on Translation (2011), Constructing Cultures written with André Lefevere (1996) and Post-Colonial Translation co-edited with Harish Trivedi (1999). She translates from several languages and lectures on aspects of translation all over the world.