Author Description
Which People's War? examines how national belonging, or British national identity, was envisaged in the public culture of the World War II home front. Using materials from newspapers, magazines, films, novels, diaries, letters, and all sorts of public documents, it explores such questions as: Who was included as 'British' and what did it mean to be British? How did the British describe themselves as a singular people, and what were the consequences of those depictions? It also examines the several meanings of citizenship elaborated in various discussions concerning the British nation at war. This investigation of the powerful constructions of national identity and understandings of citizenship circulating in Britain during the Second World War exposes their multiple and contradictory consequences at the time. It reveals the fragility of any singular conception of 'Britishness' even during a war that involved the total mobilization of the country's citizenry and cost 400,000 British civilian lives.
Menrva's Summary
THE THESIS
This book investigates how British national identity and the concept of citizenship were constructed and contested within public culture during the Second World War. Sonya O. Rose, a professor of history and sociology, utilizes a wide array of primary sources to analyze how the British state and its citizens negotiated the meaning of 'Britishness' amidst the pressures of total war. The work argues that national identity was not a singular, unified experience but a fragile and often contradictory set of narratives that shaped social inclusion and exclusion.
THE SCOPE MAP
What You Will Find
- Analysis of public discourse in newspapers, magazines, and films from the 1939-1945 period.
- Examination of personal accounts including diaries and private letters.
- Exploration of the intersection between wartime mobilization and social citizenship.
Scope Limits
- The study focuses primarily on the home front rather than military strategy or battlefield operations.
- It does not provide a comprehensive military history of the conflict.
THE AUTHORITY PERSPECTIVE
Historians and sociologists frequently cite this work as a significant contribution to the study of wartime social history and the construction of national identity. Readers often note the academic rigor of the research and the author's ability to synthesize diverse cultural artifacts into a coherent argument about British society.
Page Count:
300
Publication Date:
2003-01-01
ISBN-10:
0191001902
ISBN-13:
9780191001901
History
Sociology
World War
British History
Cultural History
National Identity