Dreaming of England: land of hope and glory or just another country?

Abstract

This is an essay about cultural history, cultural consumption and the shifting patterns of cultural identification and their role in changing sociopolitical visions and ideologies, in this case of England and Englishness. I use an autobiographical method to try and pinpoint my changing vision of what was then, and to a large extent still is, my mother country. I try to do this through an exploration of key moments of cultural consumption and cultural identification– my own family history, Enid Blyton, Richmal Crompton,
boys’ own magazines and English rock and punk music. My point is that even the most seemingly secure ideas about national and cultural identity are always in a process of re-negotiation and re-formation.

Keywords: England, Englishness, autobiography, cultural identification, cultural consumption