Language, Literature and Identity: The future of English teaching in the 21st Century Social and demographic trends

1
Language, Literature and Identity The future of
English teaching in the 21st CenturySocial and
demographic trends
Emily Keaney and Ben Rogers, ippr, January 2006
2
Structure

1. Why identity?
2. Mapping the changes
3. Positive developments in British identity.
4. Challenges to overcome
5. The implications for English teaching and the
   curriculum

3
Why Identity?

• Growth in extremism BNP, Political Islam
• Failure to honour minority identities
• Decline in British Identity
• Problems with British Identity (Brown thesis)
• Rise in anti-social behaviour
• Rise in civic and political disengagement
• Poverty of white working class identities

4
Major Trends

• Increase in the size and diversity of Britains
  immigrant population
• Decline in given identities based on nation,
  religion, class, locality, politics
• Growth of elective identities
  lifestyle/consumer
• Decline in British Identity and growth Scottish,
  Welsh, etc identity

5
Mean score on the national pride scale (1-4 4 as
most proud) by birth-cohort, 1981-2003
James Tilley and Anthony Heath (2004) 'The
Decline of British National Pride', paper
presented at the Elections, Public Opinion and
Parties conference 2004, Oxford UK
6
Mapping the changes
Englands ethnic composition is more varied than
ever before
Census White South Asian Black Chinese other Asian Other groups Numbers (millions)
1981 95.40 2.20 1.51 0.45 0.44 2.152
1991 93.68 3.10 1.91 0.70 0.60 3.028
2001 91.43 4.28 2.62 0.93 0.74 4.213
7
Traditional categorisations are losing their
relevance
8
Migration patterns are changing
9
The changes are effecting the whole country
10
Trends in Moreno Identity
11
Positive developments in British Identity
Racism has declined
Self reported racial prejudice per cent who see
themselves as very prejudiced or a little
prejudiced
12
Identity is becoming more civic than ethnic
13
Challenges to overcome

• Racism
• Hostility to immigration
• Lack of cosmopolitan identities
• Honouring minority identities
• Intolerant Englishness?
• Decline of British Identity?

14
Bonding Identities

• Are shared principles enough?
• Do we need shared culture?
• What sort? How thick?

15
The implications for English teaching and the
curriculum

• What role does literature and language more
  broadly play in shaping identity?
• What is the role of English teaching in
  developing and reflecting rich and tolerant
  national, minority and local identities?