Robin Cook, politician of the British labour party, believed that it was not possible to split Britishness and multiculturalism because being British is actually based on diverse multicultural influences.
Multiculturalism: a social term that encompasses multiple ethnicities that interact with each other without having to give up one's individual identity. Thus, ethnic diversity is the result.
Britishness: the quality of being British or having characteristics regarded as typically British
According to Robin Cook, Britishness is a feeling or an attitude not based on race or ethnicity, but on commonly shared values and a mish-mash of different communities. The Britons’ contemporary identity is influenced heavily by multiculturalism. This is manifested in the history of colonialism and immigration, as Cook mentions in his text “Chicken Tikka Masala”. Some of the following examples depict what the term multiculturalism actually means: different religious beliefs and different customs [dt.: Bräuche, Sitten] or festivities which are not traditionally part of the British calendar, speaking a different 1st language other than English, and different eating and dressing habits. The UK is home to many ethnicities and 300 spoken languages which are rooted in the history of colonialism and today’s Commonwealth.
British history began with the Battle of Hastings in 1066, where the French Normans invaded Britain. The Normans became the rulers of England and this led to a cultural transformation. The Anglo-Saxon phase in England came to an end and the language of the king’s court was French. In the 17th century, a large number of Huguenots came to Great Britain. These French Protestants were fleeing from religious persecution to surrounding countries.
In the 1840s, the Irish Potato Famine caused lots of people to flee from Ireland to Great Britain. The potato crop failed and this caused mass starvation. In Britain, Irish men worked and built canals and railways.
In the course of the Second World War, a lot of Jewish people fled to Great Britain to escape persecution and racist attacks. The most important aspect of British history is when England became a colonial power, which marks the beginning of the British Empire. Over the centuries, the British Empire expanded and by the 1920s, over 20% of the global population belonged to the British Empire. Later, in 1926, the Commonwealth was established.
After World War II, Britain was especially open to immigration. More workers were needed to rebuild Great Britain, so a large number of African and Asian people immigrated to the UK in the 1950s and 1960s. The urgent need for workers also involved the Caribbean, India and Pakistan. Increases in global migration now happen largely for economic and political reasons.
Multiculturalism has enriched British society, culture and economic vitality. Since London is home to over 30 ethnic communities, it is this pluralism that makes Britain unique. According to Cook, immigration is a necessary result of economic success because it ensures Britain as the preferred location for the headquarters of multinational companies. In the text “Chicken Tikka Masala”, R. Cook explains that Britishness includes integration, meaning that multicultural influences are shaping the British character. He defines Britishness as commonly shared values, like liberty, fairness, responsibility, tolerance, openness, mutual respect and inclusion.
Criticism: Britishness, as it is defined by Cook, is based on arguments or values (liberty, fairness, responsibility, tolerance, openness, mutual respect and inclusion), which can be transferred to lots of European countries.
In addition, it’s important to mention David Cameron’s speech in Munich, in which he says, “State multiculturalism has failed”. Cameron explains that young Muslims were left vulnerable [dt.: angreifbar, verletzbar] to radicalization. He wanted the nations “to wake up to what is happening in our countries” and tackle terrorism.
Cameron demanded a more active policy to heal divisions and he wanted to promote Western values. Instead of ignoring the extremist ideology, the former Prime Minister wanted to confront it in all its forms and, in particular, prevent different cultures from living separate lives. A passive tolerance should be replaced through “active muscular liberalism”.
A famous example of a multicultural Great Britain is the dish Chicken Tikka Masala, which is used as an illustration of the way the British absorb external influences. It is a mixture of an Indian dish ‘Tikka’ mixed with a masala sauce to appeal to the British palate.
Criticism: The term Britishness should be used with caution because people tend to generalise Great Britain as a great multicultural country. It can be said that Great Britain is a rather successful multicultural society. For example, at the Olympic games, Great Britain has an especially high rate of athletes whose families immigrated to the UK and who all compete under the British flag. Nevertheless, racial conflicts exist in this country. Incidents like the London bombings – suicide bomb attacks led by British-born sons of Pakistani immigrants – are evidence of this.
In an article from The Guardian in 2018, it is described that four in ten adults think that “having a wide variety of backgrounds and cultures has undermined British culture”. A lot of anxiety pervades British society and is maintained through social processes such as education and religion. Migrants are usually welcomed during times of economic growth, but are resented during recessions. Some British then believe the racist rhetoric that immigrants are “taking their jobs”. In Britain, the balance of immigration rate and public attitude has yet to reach a state that ensures successful and mutually appreciated integration in society.
Ethnic minorities and multiculturalism are mostly predominant in big cities like Birmingham, London, or Manchester. Frequently, quarters such as Chinatowns are found in large cities, which may be a sign that single cultures prefer to isolate themselves from the rest of society. The salad bowl metaphor can be transferred to British society because different nationalities and ethnicities live in the same country but hold on to their individual cultures and traditions. In conclusion, multiculturalism is a significant aspect of Britishness. Having a specific definition of Britishness is not really possible. Great Britain’s society and politics are constantly reforming and evolving [dt.: entwickeln]. Everyone and every generation will have their own definition and point of view.
Die geschichtlichen Daten sind hauptsächlich dazu gedacht den Begriff Multikulturalismus besser nachvollziehen zu können. So ist es leichter zu erklären, warum Großbritannien schon immer ein Land des externen Einflusses war.