Monday, February 07, 2005

National identities

Announcements have been made that in order to live on one of our apparently highly desirable islands (Britain, of course) there will soon be a stringent points based system. And when people have been here for a while they will have to do a Britishness test.
What will the questions be?
Perhaps they will need to know 'Mary Poppins' and /or 'The Sound of Music' inside out?
Or will they have to know what exotic meal should always be consumed after eight pints of lager and a Tequilla on a Friday night?
Should they swear allegiance to the queen while drunk and in Mallorca/Costa del Sol?
Maybe they should deny all knowledge of any foreign language whatsoever?
Or maybe we will get real and recognise the multicultural identity of these fair isles?
Maybe we will realise that Muslim Britain is part of Britain?

ooopsa daisy that's a bit political.

Let's just get interesting on the whole topic of nation and identity.

The British Council's site on identity and multiculturalism in Switzerland is a case in point. Who ever would have thought that Bollywood films were shot on the Swiss Alps? (Back to Julie Andrews again)
Don't you just lurve Bollywood and all the glamour?Not everyone agrees.
Some may argue that Bollywood offers something valuable in terms of identity and national pride. The picture is complicated of course and here it is argued that Indian culture is tainted by the west in its production of these films. Objections are more than your aaverage high culture versus low culture debate.

Not everyone, it seems is excited to take on a so-called British identity since actually it has all sorts of sordid nuances.

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Sheffield, South Yorks, United Kingdom
I am an academic interested in New Literacies, Digital Lifestyles, Informal Online Learning.