British industry has been absolutely essential to the country’s self-image ever since the beginnings of the Industrial Revolution, which positioned Britain as the global forerunner of industrialization and allowed it to become the dominant international powerhouse. In the nineteenth century, the industry was a key pillar of Britain’s role as the global economic hegemon. Later, the decline of the industry sector in Britain in the second half of the 20th century, too, caused indelible changes to British society and to the relations between its regions that are still virulent today.
This seminar examines via selected examples how Britain’s industry (or the decline of it) has influenced Britain’s self-image over the years. We will look at a variety of texts from different media and periods. After examining the prerequisites and effects of the Industrial Revolution in the eighteenth century, we will move on to statistical material and a so-called industrial novel from the nineteenth century. We will analyse short films about the industrial working class from the 1930s Documentary Film Movement, examine the blows to the industry under Margaret Thatcher in the 1980s and will engage with various recent evocations of both the industrial past and deindustrialization in museums and on film.