As I sat some months ago, coffee-cup in hand, doing some online research for a book I am writing, I came across a number of sites focussing on the issue of English identity. They shocked me, because they were using the very culture which so fascinates and excites me –that of the Anglo-Saxons—as a tool to promote ethnic nationalist, racist ideas. Numerous sites which encourage the (white) English to ‘take England back’ from, among others, immigrants, socialists, and capitalists refer to Anglo-Saxon origins as if they were a litmus test of Englishness, ignoring the cultural melting pot that created England in the first place.

This set me thinking about the wider issues surrounding English culture and identity today. Within England, the perception has recently developed that English cultural identity is being sidelined and ignored by the government of the UK. Many view the devolutionary settlement as unfair since, unlike Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland, England does not yet have its own country-wide legislature. Some have also been antagonised by a particular liberal perspective which holds that the English are intrinsically and irredeemably racist (which, we may note, is founded on the harmful hidden premise that the English are all ‘white’), and that English culture is therefore not worth celebrating; its few positive features are all derived from foreign cultures. These trends—combined with factors such as poverty and the adjustment to a post-industrial economy—have sparked an angry reaction, fuelling the growth of an ethnocentric English nationalism that is creating conflict between communities, blaming immigrant populations for a range of social ills and for what is felt to be a general loss of English cultural identity. In the process, this nationalism hijacks selected aspects of English culture as propaganda tools for the far right, promoting a distorted picture of our culture that leaves out its true richness and diversity.

Worried about this situation, I began to wonder whether there are any organisations that provide a counter to this view, and furthermore, whether anything is being done to help preserve and celebrate our varied culture at a time when diversity is under threat from increasing globalisation. I searched the internet for many hours with no success. Beyond the governmental department responsible for culture in the UK as a whole, I was unable to find one significant non-governmental body dedicated to English culture in general (apart from this magazine!) that did not have ties to dubious political organisations or to openly racist groups. What I found, however, was a fascinating mix of groups devoted to specific niche areas of English culture, such as dance, music, beer, and so on. The functions performed by these groups are invaluable, but the disadvantage of this situation is that none of these small groups alone is powerful enough, financially able, or has the personnel to do the kinds of things it may wish. For example, outreach projects, funding academic research, investment in new concepts and ideas, and extensive marketing are, in the main, beyond these organisations.

Therefore, I felt it vital that an umbrella organisation be formed to provide support to all areas of our culture, old and new, as well as mediate between existing groups and organisations. That is why I decided to found the English Cultural Society. Because of the organisation’s wide remit, we hope to be able to attract members from every part of the English cultural diaspora, not just from England itself. We are open not only to people who view themselves as English, but also to people with a strong interest in English culture, and those who consider themselves to have a mixed background that includes ties to English culture. With widespread support and the financial capabilities that go with it, we hope to provide the strategic leadership that the celebration and development of English culture requires. At the same time, we will provide a powerful bulwark against the exclusionist ideology of the ethnic nationalist agenda. We will vigorously promote a vision of English culture that is inclusive and non-racist, so that we can empower all English people, whatever their background, to take pride in their culture once again: to participate in and celebrate English culture without fear of being called a racist or, in the case of those from immigrant communities, an outsider. In this way we will help to improve community relations, giving immigrant communities an accurate picture of English culture that shows them the rich and positive contributions that immigrants have made, and continue to make, to it. Likewise, we will engage with the rest of the community to reassure its members with a similar message.

The only real threat to English culture comes from ourselves, for if we neglect our culture, it will surely die. But, in supporting and celebrating it, we must not twist it out of shape and bury its true richness, and that is exactly what will happen if we allow the ethnic nationalists to win the argument. The English Cultural Society believes that ethnic nationalism can be challenged, and English culture can be reclaimed from the far right, by providing cultural leadership and a platform for discourse and exchange between the different communities in England, and, in the process, helping to foster a positive Englishness.

The English Cultural Society rejects any definition of Englishness that is based on arbitrary ethnic categories. It believes that only a cultural definition is appropriate for a nation with a long history of absorbing refugee and immigrant groups, and of combining native traditions with elements from foreign cultures. It accepts as English anyone who, because of birth, place of residency, descent, or other connections to England, identifies as English. There is no need for strict definitions here either, for many people view themselves as members of more than one cultural group, a fact that reflects the diversity within England and throughout our increasingly shrinking world.

 
The objectives of the English Cultural Society are:

• To understand, preserve, celebrate, and develop all aspects of English culture, past, present, and emerging, including local, regional, international, and class variants.

• To raise public awareness of the contributions that immigrant communities have made, and continue to make, to English culture, and to show how English culture has always existed in a relationship of mutual exchange with foreign cultures.

• To promote an accurate representation of English culture globally, in order to counter Anglophobia and foster better understanding between England and other countries.

• To provide a comprehensive online resource for anyone seeking information on English culture, whether in the UK or abroad.

• To take a firm stand against all forms of discrimination, and to promote an inclusive English identity in order to foster harmonious interaction between people and groups with varied, plural, and dynamic cultural identities, and thereby increase their willingness to live together.

• To raise public awareness of the historic and built environment and its relationship to culture.

• To promote an accurate picture of English history, stressing the different historical evolutions of English culture and the diverse cultural origins of the English people.

• As far as is possible, to support and promote those groups and individuals dedicated to the study, preservation, celebration, and development of English culture, provided that they do not contravene any of the Society's other objectives.

While it is opposed to the ethnic nationalist agenda, the Society is otherwise apolitical and takes no position on the current debates surrounding immigration/migration, English independence and the campaign for an English parliament, or EU membership. Its focus is on fostering awareness and enjoyment of English culture, and on improving community relations.

We aim to start accepting members after our first AGM. If you would like further information on the English Cultural Society, please send an email to englishculturalsociety@yahoo.co.uk, and we will add you to our newsletter mailing list.—Ian Carr

Copyright © Ian Carr 2008.

Ian Carr is a graduate archaeologist.—The Editor