Event

As issues of nationalism, identity, and what it means to be ‘British’ continue to affect the cultural and political landscape of Britain itself, its impact on the islands that share (or have shared) a cultural heritage with the United Kingdom has become new ground for academics.

The Academy for the Study of Britishness at the University of Huddersfield welcomes proposals for 20-minute papers from academics, postgraduate students, independent scholars, and other professionals to present at its ‘Identity and the other British Isles’ conference on June 24th and 25th, 2010.

The conference will bring together research from a range of disciplines in order to explore issues of Britishness within island culture and society. Papers are welcomed on the identities, cultures, history, heritage, and society of any island/islands which share a cultural heritage with Britain. This includes islands within the ‘British archipelago’ and around the world. The focus of the conference is on smaller islands, and those whose relationships with Britain and Britishness have been often neglected in academic study. Topics may include, but are not limited to:

The culture and identity of The Isle of Man, The Channel Islands, Orkney, Shetland, Scilly, Anglesey, The Hebrides, Malta, Cyprus, New Zealand, Hong Kong, Singapore, Cook islands, Fiji, Tonga, The Falklands, The British West Indies and other ‘British’ islands.

• Britishness and the island(s) in wartime
• Relationships between the island(s) and Westminster/the Monarchy
• Britishness within the commemoration and celebration of identity
• Britishness in island government and administration
• The impact of Britishness (or Englishness) on the local language and culture
• Tourism
• Devolution, nationalism and post-imperialism within the island(s)

Proposals for 20-minute papers should be no more than 200 words and should include a one-page CV.

The deadline for submission is January 25th 2010.

Send abstracts and CVs to Conference.presentations07@hud.ac.uk.

For further information or an informal discussion contact d.travers@hud.ac.uk or j.matthews@hud.ac.uk.