8 - Nationalism and the new pluralism in Britain

Summary

Introduction

In this chapter I want to relate to each other some of the central points raised in the last three chapters about historical/traditional and ethnic nationalism and diasporic politics. Secondly, I also want to set these points alongside what, earlier in the discussion, I called the new pluralism. Whilst I will discuss these points generally, I will pay particular attention to how Britain is affected by these phenomena.

Traditional and ethnic nationalism

There are, of course, many more pressing questions with which Britain has had to contend in this period than those I have raised in this discussion over ethnicity and nationalism. Questions, for example, relating to defence, economic recovery and adjustment in an increasingly competitive world system, education, internal social peace and so forth are all important problems which have exercised the minds of British statesmen and stateswomen since the Second World War. Each of these stands on its own as worthy of the extensive discussion received elsewhere. The question, however, of whether the less than five per cent non-white population of around fifty-six million Britons can become part or parts of the national community not only continues to have immediate and grave implications for other national concerns, but is likely to continue to be of paramount importance in the foreseeable future.