Survey finds Britain has lost pride in its past, historian says | Social Trends

Pride in Britain's history is falling noticeably, but support for the arts remains widespread, showing the public is choosing Shakespeare over invasion, exploitation and occupation, a leading historian has said.

A survey of British social attitudes released this week found that while pride in Britain's achievements in sport and the arts has remained high over the past decade, the proportion of people who say they are proud of the country's history has fallen by 22%.

Professor Alan Lester, editor of a new book on empire that features guest essays by the eminent historian Liam J. Liburd and the journalist Sasnam Sanghera, described the results as an encouraging sign that the public is becoming more discerning about Britain's past.

This shows the recognition that history is complex. The British have done both admirable and disastrous things in the past, and we need to divide our history into things to be proud of and things to overcome.

He attributes the shift in public consciousness to the Black Lives Matter movement and changing demographics in Britain.

Protests in the US following the 2020 police killing of George Floyd helped catalyse the largest anti-racism demonstrations in British history, with more than 260 towns and cities taking part that summer.

Statues of slave traders like Edward Colston in Bristol have been toppled, streets have been renamed, and historic British institutions like the Bank of England have been forced to acknowledge their links to the slave trade.

Lester said the Black Lives Matter movement had helped solidify the issues of slavery, anti-slavery and ongoing racism in British society.

Pride in artistic and cultural achievements and sporting achievements has remained virtually unchanged since the last survey. And what that tells me is that when we look back, we have the discernment to choose Shakespeare over invasion, exploitation and occupation.

Lester, editor of the new book The Truth About Empire: Real Histories of British Colonialism, thinks some of this trend is due to Britain becoming more ethnically diverse since the last survey. Descendants of people enslaved or colonized by Britain may have different relationships to many other Britons.

Some argue that the decline in the number of people alive today who lived or served in World War II may have contributed to the decline in pride in Britain's past.

But Lester believes this will have had only a small impact, as surveys show demographics are down across all age groups and there has been a general shift in public consciousness, thanks in large part to activities such as Black Lives Matter, which continue to draw attention to the complexities of the past.

The Black Lives Matter movement has been met with a fierce response from the right, which has attacked protesters and historians who have questioned Britain’s imperial past. Lester said: Sathnam Sanghera wrote the foreword to The Truth About Empire, in which he describes how unacceptable it is that we have reached a point of passionate denial of our past, and that historians who are simply doing their jobs are being called out for being woke and attacked by the enthusiasm for Britishness and patriotism.

Historian David Olusoga has had to hire bodyguards for some speaking events, Professor Corinne Fowler, who co-authored a 2019 report for the National Trust, said she often had to call the police for protection, and Sangerra stopped going to public events with adults because of the severe abuse she regularly received.

The survey also found a decline in the proportion of people who believe Britain is better than most other countries, and in the proportion who believe people should support their country even if it does wrong.

People were also found to be less proud of Britain's democracy, economic performance and political influence in the world.

The report's authors noted that the survey results came despite the negative debate surrounding Brexit and immigration, but Lester suggested it could be a response to that debate.

Pride in the British political system and pride in the British economy have both taken a huge hit, and I think that’s because of the disillusionment that is a direct result of Brexit.

People cannot tolerate the damage that Brexit has done to Britain, to British identity, to Britain's reputation abroad, and they cannot tolerate the hatred and ill will directed at those seeking asylum.

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