Description
How to be a Patriot offers a new way of understanding our collective identity in a country wracked by division and brimming with markers of selfhood - faith, race, gender, age, sexuality.
Sunder Katwala himself grew up with some questions to work through. As a half-Indian, Irish Catholic child of the NHS, the chequered history of post-imperial Britain seemed very personal to him, but he realised that with that background he could hardly be anything but British, and proud of it too.
His timely and clear-eyed analysis seeks to navigate the many crises of this increasingly disunited kingdom: extremism and integration after 7/7; fear of immigration and the deep divides of Brexit; the resurgence of online racism; and the debate over our cultural heritage. Equipped with a nuanced understanding of the subject and a wealth of supporting data, he sets out to foster a more open and tolerant society: one that welcomes alternative ideas and cultures rather than shutting them out.
Ultimately, How to be a Patriot is a rousing story of lives lived together and shared values. Far from being divisive, it concludes, an inclusive and confident patriotism is a reminder that our differences need not define us.
Author: Sunder Katwala
Publisher: Harpernorth
Published: 09/26/2023
Pages: 224
Binding Type: Hardcover
Weight: 0.80lbs
Size: 8.58h x 5.51w x 1.10d
ISBN13: 9780008553869
ISBN10: 0008553866
BISAC Categories:
- Social Science | Discrimination
- Political Science | Commentary & Opinion
- Political Science | Political Ideologies | Nationalism & Patriotism
About the Author
Sunder Katwala was born in Doncaster, Yorkshire, to parents who had come to Britain from Ireland and India to work for the National Health Service. He grew up in Cheshire and Essex, before studying at the University of Oxford. Sunder has worked in journalism, publishing and think-tanks, including as a leader writer and internet editor for The Observer. He led the centre-left Fabian Society before founding British Future in 2012. Sunder is a regular contributor to the national broadcast and print media, such as the Today programme, Newsnight and Radio 4's Moral Maze. He writes regularly for titles ranging from The Observer and The Telegraph, The New Statesman and The Spectator.