HOME WEB NEWS IMAGES CLASSIFIEDS YELLOW PAGESPOLLS - SURVEYS WIKI COUNTRIES PHOTOS US UK INDIA
Cities Stocks Weather Movies Coupons Travel Blogs Health Horoscope Maps ASIA EUROPE Classifieds Yellow Pages
 1
|
This article is about the ethnic definition and modern nation. For other uses, see Briton.
British people, or Britons,Compact Oxford English Dictionary, Oxford University Press, 2007 are the native inhabitants of Great BritainThe American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2003. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. Retrieved 9 December 2005.Definition of Briton. Merriam-Webster Online or citizens of the United Kingdom, of the Isle of Man, one of the Channel Islands, or of one of the British overseas territories. In a historical context, the word is used to refer to the ancient Britons, the indigenous inhabitants of Great Britain south of the Forth. Contemporary Britons are descended mainly from the varied ethnic stocks that settled there before the 11th century. The pre-Celtic, Celtic, Roman, Anglo-Saxon, and Norse influences were blended in Britain under the Normans, Scandinavian Vikings who had lived in Northern France. Background Note: United Kingdom - People US Department of State
The British people are today regarded by some as a nation,Todd, M. Anglo-Saxon Origins: The Reality of the Myth, p. ?; Bradshaw, B. (1998), British Consciousness and Identity: The Making of Britain, 1533-1707, Cambridge University Press, p. ?; Colley, L. (2005), Britons: Forging the Nation, 1707-1837, Yale University Press, p. ?; Weight, R. (2003) Patriots: National Identity in Britain 1940-2000, Pan Books; Ward, P. (2004), Britishness Since 1870 Routledge, p. ? and by others as a collection of nations - English, Scots and Welsh - who happen to share the island of Great Britain.Hardill, Irene, Graham, David T., Kofman, Eleonore (2001), Human Geography of the UK: An Introduction, Routledge, p. 5; see also survey and poll text below for popular opinion on the subject. British people make up approximately just over 2% of the planet\'s population.
Contents |
Greek and Roman writers between the first century BCE and the first century CE describe the inhabitants of Great Britain and Ireland as Priteni,Snyder 2003, p. 12, 68 the origin of the Latin word Britannic. Etymologicum Genuinum and PartheniusPatrhenius, Love Stories 2, 30 [27] mention of Bretannus (the Latinized form of the Ancient Greek Βρεττανός) as a Celt forefather of the Britons. It has been suggested that this name came from a Gaullish description meaning "people of the forms" referring to their practice of tattooing or painting their bodies using blue woad.Cunliffe 2002, p. 95,Encyclopedia of the Celts: Pretani By 50 BC Greek geographers were using equivalents of Prettanikē as a group name for the islands.O\'Rahilly 1946Snyder 2003, p. 12 However, with the Roman conquest of Britain the Latin term Britannia was used for the island of Great Britain.4.20 provides a translation describing Caeser\'s first invasion, using terms which from IV.XX appear in Latin as arriving "tamen in Britanniam", the inhabitants being "Britannos", and on p30 "principes Britanniae" is translated as "chiefs of Britain".Cunliffe 2002, pp. 94-95 In Book 1 of his Geography Strabo uses the "B" spelling, in his other books he uses the "P" spelling: Cunliffe suggests this may have been an error by a scribe. The name became associated with the Roman province of Britannia and as the Romans failed to establish control of the Scottish Highlands the frontier was effectively drawn at the Antonine Wall, then around AD 200 at Hadrian\'s Wall. The post-Roman period brought a series of invasions, and in medieval Britain control of territory by Britons became confined to Wales, Cornwall and northern England. The term Britannia remained in use as the Latin name for the island, and Historia Britonum claimed legendary British origins as a prestigious genealogy for Welsh kings, followed by the Historia Regum Britanniae which popularised this pseudo-history to support the claims of the kings of England.
The genetic record of the British people is still a matter for debate. It has been commonly supposed that today only the Welsh and the genetic descendants of the Cornish Britons remain in the same locations as their Dark-Age and Medieval ancestors[citation needed]. However, recent research suggests that the majority of persons in all regions of Britain are the genetic descendant of settlers from the Basque region, who arrived in Britain between 7500 and 15000 years ago.http://www.prospect-magazine.co.uk/article_details.php?id=7817
During the years of Tudor rule in England and Wales, the idea of Britannia and the term British became increasingly politically important. This coincided with the assuming by King of England (and Wales) of the title of the King of Ireland in 1542 on to the personal union of the crowns of England and Scotland under James Stuart in 1603. It was during this period that the terms British Isles and British Empire were coined, but the kingdoms remained separate and British only became synonymous with a national civic identity with the formation in 1707 of the Kingdom of Great Britain and the state that subsequently merged into the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland. It in turn became the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland with the secession of what became the Republic of Ireland.
Historian Linda Colley argues that following the 1707 Act of Union, it became common for the people of the Kingdom of Great Britain to have a "layered" identity, that is, to think of themselves as simultaneously British and also Scottish, English, and Welsh.Colley, Linda; Britons; Forging the Nation, 1701-1837, Yale University Press, 1992.
"Britishness" today is sometimes used as a political concept seeking to develop or more often to define what it is to be British. The term is often associated with the British unionist tradition however the term Unionist is often associated with Northern Ireland and so Britishness is more often used. It can be seen however that Britishness evokes a range of responses and attitudes that make an exact definition elusive.Citizenship and Belonging: What is Britishness?PDF (597 KiB) Ethos, November 2005
Most recently this concept has been used by Prime Minister Gordon Brown to initiate debate on British identity.Brown speech promotes Britishness BBC News, 14 January 2006. Brown\'s speech to the Fabian Society\'s Britishness Conference proposed that British values demand a new constitutional settlement and symbols to represent a modern patriotism, including a new youth community service scheme and a British Day to celebrate.The future of Britishness Fabian Society, 14 January 2006.
One focus can be seen in terms of celebrating the best of the United Kingdom. That is to stress that what unites the United Kingdom is stronger than the issues dividing it, such as support in Scotland for Scottish independence, international football loyalties, or growing signs of English revolt against distribution of funds to the Scottish Parliament. One of the central issues identified at the Fabian Society conference was how the English identity fits within the framework of a devolved United Kingdom. Does England require a new constitutional settlement for instance?New Britishness must resolve the English question Fabian Society, 14 January 2006
A tangible expression of the Government\'s initiative to promote Britishness was the inaugural Veterans\' Day which was first held on 27 June 2006. As well as celebrating the achievements of armed forces veterans, Browns\' speech at the first event for the celebration said: "Scots and people from the rest of the UK share the purpose – that Britain has something to say to the rest of the world about the values of freedom, democracy and the dignity of the people that you stand up for. So at a time when people can talk about football and devolution and money, it is important that we also remember the values that we share in common"."Brown pinning his hopes on a new regiment", The Herald, 2006-06-27. Retrieved on 2006-10-15.
| Identity | Percent |
|---|---|
| British only | 31% |
| British + Home Nations Identity | 15% |
| Home Nations Identity | 49% |
| Other | 5% |
Historically, British was expounded as a meta-identity for all of the residents of Britain, the number of people in Great Britain identifying themselves as British, as opposed to their national identity, has been declining. For example, it fell in England from 63% in 1991-2 to 48% in 2003, in Scotland from 31% in 1974 to 20% in 2003, and in Wales from 34% in 1978-9 to 27% in 2003. As have those describing themselves as equally British and their national identity.Devolution, Public Attitudes and National IdentityPDF (86.2 KiB) (2006) in Devolution and Constitutional Change, ESRC list of authors
The 2001 UK General Household Survey (GHS) contained an element measuring the number of people describing themselves as British.National Statistics, Living in Britain 2001 (Households, Families and People: National Identity), 2001 The incidence of those willing to call themselves British in any sense is highest in England, but nowhere commands a majority. Interestingly, it does command a majority of non-White respondents (57%), compared to 45% White respondents. Furthermore, 51% of non-White respondents consider themselves British-only, whereas only 29% of White respondents describe themselves so.National Statistics, Living in Britain 2001 (Households, Families and People: National Identity), 2001
| Location / Group | Percent |
|---|---|
| England | 48% |
| Northern Ireland | 64% |
| Scotland | 20% |
| Wales | 35% |
| White | 45% |
| Non-white | 57% |
Starting in the 2001 census, White Irish and White British were recognised as distinct ethnic groups in Great Britain. This distinction is avoided in the census of Northern Ireland, where White Irish and White British are combined into a single "White" ethnic group on the census forms. Naturally, numbers of those describing themselves as British in Northern Ireland are divided dramatically across community lines (approximate to religious differences between Catholic and Protestant). An Institute of Governance briefing in 2006Constitutional Change and IdentityPDF (211 KiB), the Institute of Governance, 2006 described the division between the communities so:
| “ | Three-quarters of Northern Ireland’s Protestants regard themselves as British, but only 12 percent of Northern Ireland’s Catholics do so. Conversely, a majority of Catholics (65 percent) regard themselves as Irish, whilst very few Protestants (5 percent) do likewise. | ” |
The 2001 UK census measured the numbers of Protestant in Northern Ireland to be 53% and Catholic to be 44%.
The Northern Ireland Life & Times Survey samples attitudes to nationality and ethnicity every year. The results of the 2006 survey suggest that 90 percent of Protestants in Northern Ireland regard themselves as British and 15 percent of Roman Catholics regard themselves as such; 71 percent of Catholics regard themselves as Irish and 3 percent of Protestants regard themselves as this; 6 percent of Protestants and 8 percent of Catholics regard themselves as both British and Irish. The total of people who regard themselves as British in Northern Ireland was 56 percent; as Irish 33percent; and as both British and Irish was 8 percent.Northern Ireland Life & Times Survey 2006
In 2006 however, the Life & Times survey omitted the categories Northern Irish, Ulster and Don\'t know from the question. The category for Northern Irish had attracted 21 percent in 2004 (25 percent of Catholics and 17 percent of Protestants).Northern Ireland Life & Times Survey 2004
Of those claiming to not be of any particular religion, 60 percent regarded themselves as British; 23 percent as Irish; and 12 percent as both.
Whether someone refers to their nationality as English, Northern Irish, Scottish, Welsh, it does not necessarily mean that they do not also consider themselves British. For example, a person may consider himself British or Welsh, or equally British and Welsh, or mostly one or the other. However, even when given the widest common choice of options, some people still prefer to identify themselves as exclusively English (17%), Scottish (31%), Welsh (21%),Devolution, Public Attitudes and National IdentityPDF (86.2 KiB) (2006) in Devolution and Constitutional Change, ESRC list of authors or Northern Irish (21%), referring to aspects of their own culture and history which distinguish the nations of the United Kingdom from each other.Gene Expression article February 2005 These figures can be compared to those who identity themselves as exclusively British, England (10%), Scotland (4 %), and Wales (9%).
The use of the term is sensitive in some areas, particularly in Northern Ireland,British? Irish? Or what? from Conflict and Politics in Northern Ireland (1968 to the Present) CAIN Web Service (Conflict Archive on the INternet) and can vary in exact meaning depending on context and the author\'s personal prejudices.[citation needed]
The term British is also used by naturalised immigrants and their descendants. By a slight margin it is the preferred term of non-White residents of the United Kingdom.National Statistics, Living in Britain 2001 (Households, Families and People: National Identity), 2001 Thus Black British is common usage, particularly in England, though less so in Scotland where such groups can be, for example, Pakistani Scots.UK: 25% of ethnic minority Scots have tried drugs, The Herald, Glasgow, 02 November 2001
Since partition of the island in 1922, British identity has become a source of division in Northern Ireland.
At partition, Unionists in what was to become Northern Ireland, identified as Ulstermen or -women and the contentious term, British Isles, was avoided by Unionist historians as much as it was by Nationalist ones.Nicholas Canny, 2003, "Writing Early Modern History: Ireland, Britain, and the Wider World", The Historical Journal, 46, 3, Cambridge University Press, p. 738Nicholas Canny, 2003, "Writing Early Modern History: Ireland, Britain, and the Wider World", The Historical Journal, 46, 3, Cambridge University Press, p. 738
"... unionist usage [of the term British Isles] is now frequently less sensitive than previously, producing, especially in Northern Ireland, the ultimate oxymoron, the ‘British mainland’."
Since the Troubles, there has been a doubling of those identifying as British within the Protestant community in Northern Ireland (rising to nearly 70%), while Ulster and Irish identity has collapsed among that group. There has been a 75% drop among Catholics of those identifying as British (from 20% down to 6%) in the same period, where Irish is the predominant identity (approximately 60%).Edward Moxon-Browne, 1991, "National Identity in Northern Ireland", in Peter Stringer and Gillian Robinson (eds.), 1991, Social Attitudes in Northern Ireland: The First Report, Blackstaff Press: Belfast High rates of intermarriage between nationalists and unionists following independence is attributed as the disappearance of British Unionist and Anglo-Irish identities in the Republic of Ireland, where the political implications of intermarriage are perceived as unimportant. In Northern Ireland, in contrast, with high degrees of housing, educational, political and community segregation, only 5% of marriages cross community divides.Edward Moxon-Browne, 1991, "National Identity in Northern Ireland", in Peter Stringer and Gillian Robinson (eds.), 1991, Social Attitudes in Northern Ireland: The First Report, Blackstaff Press: Belfast The people of Northern Ireland are British citizens, and individuals may choose to assert Irish citizenship also, if they so choose.
| National Identity in Northern Ireland |
|---|
 
|
| Identity in Northern Ireland since 1968. Protestant identity is shown on the left. Catholic identity is shown on the right. British Irish Ulster |
British identity has long been problematic in Ireland.Krishan Kumar, 2003, The Making of English National Identity, Cambridge University Press: Cambridge Prior to the union with the Great Britain, British identity was never applied to Irish people.John Morrill, 1996, The Oxford Illustrated History of Tudor and Stuart Britain, Oxford University Press: Oxford From an Irish perspective, regardless of religion or political persuasion, this status quo continued during the period when the whole island formed part of the United Kingdom,Krishan Kumar, 2003, The Making of English National Identity, Cambridge University Press: Cambridge although a greater number of people on Great Britain began to describe Irish people as British during the same period.Krishan Kumar, 2003, The Making of English National Identity, Cambridge University Press: Cambridge Since partition of the island in 1922, British identity has become a source of division in Northern Ireland.Jonathan Tonge, 2006, Northern Ireland: Conflict and Change, Polity: Cambridge In the Republic of Ireland, British identity is never asserted and will almost certainly cause offense.Bernadette C. Hayes, Richard Sinnott, Tony Fahey, 2005, Conflict and Consensus: A Study of Values and Attitudes in the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland, Institute of Public Administration: Dublin A pejorative Laura O\'Connor, "Neighborly Hostility and Literary Creoles: The Example of Hugh MacDiarmid" in Postmodern Culture, Volume 15, Number 2, January 2005 (The Johns Hopkins University Press) term, West Briton, has been in use since the 19th century, though not originally intended pejoratively, and was used by nationalist leader Daniel O\'Connell British House of Commons in 1832:
| “ | The people of Ireland are ready to become a portion of the Empire, provided they be made so in reality and not in name alone; they are ready to become a kind of West Briton if made so in benefits and justice; but if not, we are Irishmen again. | ” |
"... unionist usage [of the term British Isles] is now frequently less sensitive than previously, producing, especially in Northern Ireland, the ultimate oxymoron, the ‘British mainland’."
Since the Troubles, there has been a doubling of those identifying as British within the Protestant community in Northern Ireland (rising to nearly 70%), while Ulster and Irish identity has collapsed among that group. There has been a 75% drop among Catholics of those identifying as British (from 20% down to 6%) in the same period, where Irish is the predominant identity (approximately 60%).Edward Moxon-Browne, 1991, "National Identity in Northern Ireland", in Peter Stringer and Gillian Robinson (eds.), 1991, Social Attitudes in Northern Ireland: The First Report, Blackstaff Press: Belfast High rates of intermarriage between nationalists and unionists following independence is attributed as the disappearance of British Unionist and Anglo-Irish identities in the Republic of Ireland, where the political implications of intermarriage are perceived as unimportant. In Northern Ireland, in contrast, with high degrees of housing, educational, political and community segregation, only 5% of marriages cross community divides.Edward Moxon-Browne, 1991, "National Identity in Northern Ireland", in Peter Stringer and Gillian Robinson (eds.), 1991, Social Attitudes in Northern Ireland: The First Report, Blackstaff Press: Belfast The people of Northern Ireland are jointly British and Irish citizens, and individuals may choose to assert either or both as they choose fit.
The people of the British overseas territories are British by citizenship, via origins or naturalization. Along with aspects of common British identity, each of them has their own distinct identity shaped in the respective particular circumstances of political, economic, ethnic, social and cultural history. For instance, in the case of the Falkland Islanders that is explained by Lewis Clifton, Speaker of the Falklands Legislative Council as follows:
| “ | British cultural, economic, social, political and educational values create a unique British-like, Falkland Islands. Yet Islanders feel distinctly different from their fellow citizens who reside in the United Kingdom. This might have something to do with geographical isolation or with living on a smaller island – perhaps akin to those British people not feeling European.Clifton, Lewis. The Falkland Islands: Self-government with an emerging national identity? News and Journal 2004, The 21st Century Trust. London, 1999. pp. 16-19. | ” |
In the 2001 Canadian census, more than 14.4 million persons, almost half of the population described themselves of British Isles origins. Also, an additional 11.6 million Canadians described themselves as Canadian, either solely, or in part with a British Isles origin, reflecting that a greater number of Canadians could have British origins[28]:
In the 2006 Australian census, approximately one-half (almost 10 million persons) of the population described themselves of various British Isles origins. An important thing to note is that some 7.4 million Australians described themselves as "Australian" meaning that millions more persons could have British Isles origins.
The largest groups are as follows[29]:
In terms of ancestry combinations, English-Australian was the most common, along with other British Isles combinations, followed by English-German, and English-Italian combinations.[30]
A significant number of New Zealanders are of British ancestry.Te Ara: New Zealanders: New Zealand Peoples: Britons As late as the 1950s, it was common for British New Zealanders to refer to themselves as simply British, such as when Prime Minister Keith Holyoake described Sir Edmund Hillary\'s successful ascent of Mt. Everest as "[putting] the British race and New Zealand on top of the world".Population Conference 1997, New Zealand: Panel Discussion 3c - Population Change And International Linkages, Phillip Gibson, Chief Executive, Asia 2000 Foundation New Zealand passports described nationals as "British Subject and New Zealand Citizen" until 1974, when this was changed to "New Zealand Citizen".Carl Walrond. \'Kiwis overseas - Staying in Britain\', Te Ara - the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, updated 13 April 2007.
While "European" identity predominates political discourse in New Zealand today, the term "British" is still used by some to explain aspects of the country\'s overall cultural affiliation. Others see the term as better describing previous generations; for instance, journalist Colin James referred to "we ex-British New Zealanders" in a 2005 speech.The Pacific-ation of New Zealand. Colin James\'s speech to the Sydney Institute, 3 February 2005. Accessed 2007-06-05. It remains a relatively uncontroversial descriptor of ancestry.
In an interview with the New Zealand Listener in 2006, the opposition leader of that time Don Brash made the following statement;
| 
| 
| 
| |
| English American, Scottish American, Scots-Irish American, Welsh American | ||||
| Dark red and brown colours indicate a higher density.(see also Maps of American ancestries). | ||||
Many British Americans have ancestry in America that dates back to colonial times in the 17th and 18th centuries. Those who went to New England are known as Yankees. With their roots being in America for such a long period, many British Americans have begun to think of themselves ancestrally simply as "Americans." This is especially true in the South.
British emigrants and descent communities are found across the world, and in some places, settled in significant numbers. Countries with significant numbers of people of English, Scottish, Ulster (Scots-Irish) and Welsh ancestry or ethnic origin include the United States (particularly Utah, New England, New York, California, Virginia, West Virginia, and the Southern States), Australia, Canada, South Africa and New Zealand.
Look up British people in
Wiktionary, the free dictionary.
This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from Wikipedia
