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Our Obsession with British Culture Is Problematic
British films and TV tend to ignore the UK’s imperialist history — but some artists are starting to explore it.
I am an American, but I’ve always been a bit of an anglophile. I love having English Breakfast tea and a scone with jam in the morning. My favorite TV show is the London-set Fleabag. And I adore Jane Austen’s ouevre.
However, I often find British art superficial. Much of the content created about the UK, particularly the popular stuff, celebrates the country when it was at the historical height of its power. It typically showcases British life from the beginning of the Seven Years’ War (1756) to the end of World War II (1945). Britain’s Imperial Century (1815–1914) falls into this timeline. While thousands of women, children, and servants lived and worked in manor houses, many British men colonized large swaths of the world, changing the lives of millions of black and brown people. The entertainment industry portrays English domestic life at the expense of delving into the country’s colonial past. And when art focuses on events in Britain, it is usually about the Great Wars. These historical narratives do not represent the full extent of British history during the Pax Britannica.
