Protestantism and National Identity

A challenge to the much-promoted thesis that Protestantism was central to the rise of Britain as a world power.

The years 1650–1850 saw the creation of the United Kingdom and the emergence of Britain as a world power. According to much recent literature Protestantism was central to this process. This collection challenges this religious contribution to 'Britishness' and suggests ways to understand the 'British problem'.This volume traces the complex contribution which Protestantism made to national identity in the British Isles between the Stuart and the Victorian ages. Often challenging existing work, the essays both question whether nationalism was a secular and 'modern' phenomenon, and ask whether Protestantism could support any simple vision of a united, imperial and 'elect' Britain. Covering a wide variety of subjects, the authors show that whilst the reformed faith was always central to 'British' self-awareness, it could also divide the peoples of Britain and Ireland, could cast doubt on their greatness, and could dissolve any insistence on the uniqueness of these nations. The collection thus takes the study of religion's contribution to nationality beyond simple acknowledgement of its importance, and suggests ways to understand British and Irish development during the 'long eighteenth century'.