Political Culture and the Democratic Imagination in Twentieth-Century Britain

This paper examines the significance of culture to politics in twentieth century Britain. It explores how political meaning and legitimacy were constructed through the means of popular cultural forms such as the press, fiction, television, music, life writing and ‘everyday’ testimonies. The paper focuses closely on the relationship between parties and the people, related issues of representation and communication and popular conceptions of politics and politicians.

Students will be encouraged to consider what the study of culture reveals about the fate of mass democracy in twentieth-century Britain. The establishment of a political system based upon principles of universal adult suffrage developed in tandem with the emergence of a commercialized mass culture. Critics across the twentieth century commonly argued that newspapers, television, popular music and fiction debased the quality of British democracy, promoting sensationalism, simplicity, cynicism and escapism. Other observers pointed to the more radical implications of popular culture, particularly its important role as an outlet for marginalized identities, community formation, anti-racist activism and challenges to the status quo.

Across six themed weeks, a range of different source materials, including the tabloid press, political broadcasting, popular fiction, songs, autobiographies and Mass Observation testimonies, will be used to interrogate the boundaries of the political in twentieth-century Britain. Students will consider the intersections between popular culture and politics, the prevalence of apathy and anti-politics, the societal and cultural circulation of political ideologies and the roles played by gender, class, sexuality and race.