Learn English in the UK or in your own countryspacerUK courses and qualifications in the UK or in your own countryspacerThe best of British arts, media and designspacerPromoting British expertise in science, engineering, technology, environment and healthspacerGovernance and the rights of peoplespacerLibraries, information centres, seminars, knowledge networks and the information society
What is the British Council?spacerVisit our worldwide network of officesspacerRead all about our collaborative workspacerFind our services, departments, libraries, personnel, etc.
 The British Council home page
British Studies Bibliography

Introduction

  This bibliography is just over a third the length of the second core list produced in 1993. The shorter length is justified by the view that the earlier volume was too long, and too diverse in its range of contents. At that time, however, there was a need to represent the field encompassed by British Studies, and how it might be compared for inclusiveness with other area studies - American Canadian, Japanese etc. Although British studies draws on a range of humanities based disciplines, the political and cultural constructs of Britain and Britishness create a unifying theme. Yet the subject does manifest itself in a variety of ways overseas, usually within English Language, Literature and Teacher Training curricula, ranging from traditional factually based 'Life and Institutions' landeskunde, to approaches which draw on cultural, critical and social theory. Its inter- and multi-disciplinary nature makes it a complex and challenging field for information managers and practitioners alike.

The guiding principle for inclusion of a title is relevance to the understanding of contemporary Britain. However, this time an attempt has been made to organize sections of the list in a way which reflects how the subject might be structured in the secondary and higher education curricula overseas. So instead of an alphabetical list of subject topics from Agriculture to Wales, with cookery rubbing shoulders with Cultural Theory, this list distinguishes between factors that contribute to a sense of individual, regional or national identity - race, place, gender, generation and class - and the macro - institutions that make up British social, political and cultural life 1 to guide the selection and arrangement of titles. In addition, common 'cross-cutting themes' used as a syllabus or programme focus are given special attention. There is also a section which lists key texts in the major artistic fields of cultural production. Here the criterion for inclusion is that a title should illuminate aspects of contemporary British life and experience. As in the previous list works on history, or survey titles are included to illustrate the evolution of British institutions and cultural expression. The list ends with a section on the theory and practice of teaching British Studies.

This bibliography has been assembled as a result of consultation with British Studies practitioners overseas. We are grateful to Jane Bearley for having undertaken preliminary work on the list, and to Joanne Collie for many useful suggestions. But to remain useful the list requires constant critiquing and up-dating by its users in libraries and resource/information centres, and crucially by teachers in schools and universities.

Index page
  Produced in the United Kingdom by The British Council © 1999. The British Council is the United Kingdom's international organisation for educational and cultural relations. Registered in England as a Charity.