Manchester University Press The Road to Brexit: A Cultural Perspective on British Attitudes to Europe (Manchester University Press)

This interdisciplinary collection of essays analyses British attitudes toward Europe, and explores the impact of Euroscepticism in British culture on the outcome of the Brexit decision. It argues that Britains exit from the European Union reflects a more general cultural rejection of Europe, and a denial of the real strength of British ties to the continent. The volume brings together literary and cultural studies, history and political science in an integrated analysis of views and practices that shape cultural memory and the cultural imaginary. It traces the historical and political relationship between Britain and Europe, and the positioning of Europe in recent political debates. It also provides exemplary case studies of films and popular Eurosceptic and historical fiction. The book engages with border mindedness, including the idea of the English Channel as a contact zone, and the place of Gibraltar in non-fiction. Given the crucial importance of literature in British discourses of national identity, the book calls for, and embarks on, a Euro-British literary studies that highlights the nature and depth of the British-European entanglement. This collection, which includes contributions by Robert Holland, Lara Feigel and Menno Spiering, will appeal mainly to specialists in literary and cultural studies, but it will also appeal to a wider audience with an interest in Brexit and British/English identity. Review 'The collection impresses by its interdisciplinary range. In this sense, it is an ideal specimen of Cultural-Studies scholarship, no matter whether all contributors would readily identify with this label or not. Academics from various disciplines - historians, political scientists, literary studies scholars, etc. - have come together and produced insightful and very readable essays on this eminently important issue which complement each other perfectly. This is essential reading for everyone interested in how the United Kingdom has 'located' itself in and/or vis-à-vis (continental) Europe.' Gerold Sedlmayer, Anglia - Journal of English Philology From the Back Cover This interdisciplinary collection of essays analyses British attitudes toward Europe, and explores the impact of Euroscepticism in British culture on the outcome of the Brexit decision. It argues that Britain's exit from the European Union reflects a more general cultural rejection of Europe, and a denial of the real strength of British ties to the continent. The volume brings together literary and cultural studies, history and political science in an integrated analysis of views and practices that shape cultural memory and the cultural imaginary. It traces the historical and political relationship between Britain and Europe, and the positioning of Europe in recent political debates. It also provides exemplary case studies of films and popular Eurosceptic and historical fiction. The book engages with border mindedness, including the idea of the English Channel as a contact zone, and the place of Gibraltar in non-fiction. Given the crucial importance of literature in British discourses of national identity, the book calls for, and embarks on, a Euro-British literary studies that highlights the nature and depth of the British-European entanglement. This collection, which includes contributions by Robert Holland, Lara Feigel and Menno Spiering, will appeal mainly to specialists in literary and cultural studies, but it will also appeal to a wider audience with an interest in Brexit and British/English identity. About the Author Ina Habermann is Professor of English Literature at the University of Basel, Switzerland