Living in Britain Today

With the international reader in mind, the book is aiming to present a new perspective on life in Britain today that considers national history as well as visions of the future. Cultural concepts are not taken for granted but are developed and explained to a non-British audience. My explorative journey through contemporary (and ancient) literature as a mirror of society aims to establish both a critical and humorous distance to current political news. Additionally, there is the analysis of social behaviour patterns in different parts of the UK, in search of a common British 'soul'. Since devolution has become an issue in the last few years, the bond between the Kingdom's four nations is questioned. Against many people's belief, religious faith is still seen to play an important role in Britain's multicultural society and appears to be of immediate consequence for the success of integration. The notion of 'multilingual' English is to be introduced to account for recent cultural impacts on language developments across the UK. Finally, prejudices about the British nation(s), as they still prosper in the EFL-classroom, are to be examined to find new ways of intercultural understanding.

Autorentext

Dr. Schenke has graduated with distinction in English & American Studies, Classical Philology and Education. She has taught for many years at secondary schools and has also worked in the English Department at Munich University and the Education Department and Language Centre at Hamburg University. Currently she is living in Sussex, England.