English Nationalism, Brexit and the Anglosphere

Ben Wellings is Senior Lecturer in Politics and International Relations at Monash University in Melbourne, Australia

‘A thoughtful and subtle book that has not been outdated by the unpredictable twists and turns of events. Wellings identifies an interesting problem: that Brexit is both English and not English. Support for Brexit was strongest in England, but the expressed aims of the Brexit campaign, putting British sovereignty and “global Britain” at the forefront, tend to push England back out of the picture. Whatever the outcome of our present travails whether English nationalism finally emerges will remain important, and this book will help us to reflect on what is happening.’ Robert Tombs, Professor of Modern History, University of Cambridge, and author of The English and Their History‘Brexit has plunged the UK into its greatest peacetime crisis. In this incisive study Ben Wellings explores how an elite project built around Euroscepticism and the Anglosphere created a majority coalition for Leave by reshaping English nationalism. Essential reading for understanding why England voted for Brexit and what the future holds.’ Andrew Gamble, Professor of Politics, SPERI, University of Sheffield‘In this original and impressive book, Ben Wellings argues that Brexit can be understood as a three-level dilemma for this ‘least parochial’ of nationalisms: getting the UK out of the EU, maintaining the Union and reintegrating the UK into global markets. The case is made with intelligence and subtlety and Wellings establishes a new standard of interpretation for the politics of Englishness.’ Arthur Aughey, Emeritus Professor of Politics, Ulster University

• 1 Introduction: English nationalism, Euroscepticism and the AnglospherePart I: Discovering England2 England’s dilemmas: national questions in a global era3 Locating England: national traditions and political dilemmasPart II: Three pillars of the English Anglosphere4 Gift to the world: England’s shared exceptionalism 5 Greater Britain: England’s wider categories of belonging6 Great wars: England and the defence of British sovereigntyPart III: England’s Brexit and the Anglosphere7 Leap into the known: the Anglosphere, England and the Brexit referendum8 Taking back control: global Britain and Brexit England9 Conclusion: Brexit as English nationalismIndex