A Question of Identity: (Routledge Revivals)

Published in 1998, this book is a multi-disciplinary exploration of one of the most vital issues in the contemporary world. Never was this topic more relevant than now, on the threshold of the twenty-first century. At a time when the global economy, European citizenship and worldwide religion are the order of the day, nationalism - as in eastern Europe and the Balkans - and regionalism - Wales and Scotland provide perfect examples - ride high on the agenda. It is the problems and paradoxes that emerge immediately the subject is raised that form the core of this book. A Question of Identity breaks new ground by drawing together eminent academics from a variety of disciplines including; anthropology, history, law, linguistics, politics, psychology and sociology, to examine the way in which issues of identity have impacted on society and the way in which changes in society have resulted in a re-evaluation of identity. Topics covered include, 'Britishness' within the context of devolution; language and identity; religion, gender and identity; the political and legal problems of European citizenship; elderly migrants and identity; and German identity after reunification. The book explores questions of identity in two sections: British and global. The main conclusion to be reached is that at any period of history the question of identity is complex composed of interacting facets which combine in larger or smaller proportions to create the whole, be that individual, group, ethnic, religious, national or supranational. This book sets out to identify some of the facets that contribute to the whole and by so doing answers some of the questions which are currently circulating around the question of identity.

Table of Contents:
1. Being Born Lost? The Cultural and Institutional Dimensions of Welsh Identity, Wayne Parsons. 2. The Northern Irish Identity, Karen Trew. 3. ‘A Good Jew or a Good Englishman?’ : The Jewish Lads’ Brigade and Anglo-Jewish Identity, Sharman Kadish. 4. Issues of Identity Through the Synagogue: British Jewish Woman in the late Twentieth Century, Marlena Schmool. 5. Paths and Pitfalls in the Exploration of British Bangladeshi Identity, Rod Chalmers. 6. The Search for Wholeness: The Construction of National and Islamic Identities among British Bangladeshis, John Eade. 7. Identity, Age and Masculinity amongst Bengali Elders in East London, Katy Gardner. 8. Caribbean Identities and the British Context: Creolisation as a Common Framework. 9. German Identity After Reunification, Eberhard Bort. 10. Immigration, European Integration and the Representation of Migrant Interests, Andrew Geddes. 11. A Concept of European Union Citizenship: Problems and Possibilities, Jo Shaw. 12. Political Identities and Social Struggle in Africa, Graham Harrison. 13. Bilingualism and the Construction of a New ‘American’ Identity, Chris Julios.

Review :
’...provides interesting material for those studying first and second generation migration issues.’ Ethnic Conflict ’...informative and offers new and interesting material to debates on identity.’ Ethnic and Racial Studies