Travel Essay 3: Britain and Multi-Culturalism
Visiting London, let alone living in it, one cannot help but notice the fact that this city is diverse. I have eaten more food east of the UK than I have west, and I have heard more Arabic, French, Mandarin, and Hindu than English. When talking to the locals during some interviews for my class, nearly everyone that I talked to was very proud to say that Britain, and its citizens, are welcoming to foreigners. Of the places we visited around the UK, London was definitely the most multi-cultural. Other places such as York, the Lake District, Cardiff, Edinburgh, and Belfast were noticeably less diverse, with noncaucasians standing out. In these places too though, the locals were proud to say they were very welcoming, and in each of these areas we met nothing but people who were willing to help us.
London has a history of multiculturalism, dating back once again to the Roman period. When the Romans invaded the British Isles, they made London their capital of the territory and it also served as the trading port. With lots of goods coming in and out from all over the empire, that stretched throughout Europe and into northern Africa, many roman citizens came in and some of them stayed. In fact, many modern caucasian Brits have DNA that shows relations to other areas in the Roman Empire. After the Romans left, the Anglo-Saxons came in, who were from Germany and the Netherlands. They created a new culture intermingled with the Roman/Celtic cultures that had been created in the previous centuries. The invasion is said to not have been peaceful, though now some anthropologists and historians are rewriting history based on the theory that there was no formal Anglo-Saxon invasion, and that it was more a change in culture. This alternate history is highly controversial, but it adds to a constructivist argument that multiculturalism, and tolerance of other peoples, has existed and continued to grow in the UK. After the Anglo-Saxons invaded, the Vikings came in and took over the north, and then the Normans came in and William the Conquerer pronounced himself King of the Brits. This constant take over and forced influence of other cultures adds instrumentalist moments to the constructivist argument. The change in culture forced the people to be civil with their invaders and assimilate, or die by their swords.
In the modern era, there has been a mass influx of immigrants from around the world to the UK. Through the expansion of the empire, the British people imposed their culture on other people, and in turn, their culture was changed and influenced by those who chose to immigrate to England for better opportunities. Tea, a British staple, comes from China, while a famous, very spicy Indian dish called Vindaloo was invented in London. This immigration from countries within the vast empire increased drastically during the Industrial revolution. This era cemented a clearer acceptance of other cultures in the eyes of the British people. While there are always issues of racism and discrimination anywhere, the British people identify themselves as accepting.
London has a history of multiculturalism, dating back once again to the Roman period. When the Romans invaded the British Isles, they made London their capital of the territory and it also served as the trading port. With lots of goods coming in and out from all over the empire, that stretched throughout Europe and into northern Africa, many roman citizens came in and some of them stayed. In fact, many modern caucasian Brits have DNA that shows relations to other areas in the Roman Empire. After the Romans left, the Anglo-Saxons came in, who were from Germany and the Netherlands. They created a new culture intermingled with the Roman/Celtic cultures that had been created in the previous centuries. The invasion is said to not have been peaceful, though now some anthropologists and historians are rewriting history based on the theory that there was no formal Anglo-Saxon invasion, and that it was more a change in culture. This alternate history is highly controversial, but it adds to a constructivist argument that multiculturalism, and tolerance of other peoples, has existed and continued to grow in the UK. After the Anglo-Saxons invaded, the Vikings came in and took over the north, and then the Normans came in and William the Conquerer pronounced himself King of the Brits. This constant take over and forced influence of other cultures adds instrumentalist moments to the constructivist argument. The change in culture forced the people to be civil with their invaders and assimilate, or die by their swords.
In the modern era, there has been a mass influx of immigrants from around the world to the UK. Through the expansion of the empire, the British people imposed their culture on other people, and in turn, their culture was changed and influenced by those who chose to immigrate to England for better opportunities. Tea, a British staple, comes from China, while a famous, very spicy Indian dish called Vindaloo was invented in London. This immigration from countries within the vast empire increased drastically during the Industrial revolution. This era cemented a clearer acceptance of other cultures in the eyes of the British people. While there are always issues of racism and discrimination anywhere, the British people identify themselves as accepting.
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