Anti-immigration arguments say we must “preserve British culture”, but what is it?

It’s a common line of argument for closed border policies, or restricted immigration, that the country's cultural identity must be preserved. By nature, immigration welcomes different cultural values, religions and norms that can differ from that nation’s own. However, the expectation for immigrants to culturally assimilate can necessitate that they, in ways, abandon their own cultural identity, which is deeply problematic. As well, what features of British culture are there to assimilate?

If ‘British culture needs to be preserved’, we must first define what British culture is. It is often summed up whimsically through tea, queues, Britpop, and pints. Likewise, the history of Britain at large - the empire it once was - is something we spend time dissecting, shaming and trying to distance ourselves from. Rightly so, considering the colossal extent of harm it inflicted. While some citizens remain patriotic for the monarchy, others fight for its dissolution. Therefore, it becomes obvious that defining the practical features of British culture is difficult and largely under debate. So, I argue it isn’t effective for it to carry much weight in arguments against immigration. 

Firstly, some argue that immigration threatens communal solidarity, through the fact that differences in language and norms can change how people interact and sometimes their actual ability to (Miller, 2014). This breaks down the sense of being recognised by one another and the ‘social’ bond between members of society. But this argument presumes that communal solidarity exists between Brits in the first place and that we all share identical norms, which is a sweeping generalisation. How often do we know our neighbours or converse more than politely with strangers? You only have to travel outside your house to witness the number of people increasingly disconnected from others. If anything, it is arguable that the digitalisation of our lives is more blameworthy for breaking down social bonds than immigration. 

Again, Miller argues that as society diversifies, culture becomes more important as a unifier,  to provide a common identity (Miller, 2014). Therefore, it could be argued that religious homogeneity is important in preserving British culture. But traditional religion is on the decline in Britain and therefore may not play a significant role in our culture anymore. In 2021, 5.8 million fewer people described themselves as ‘Christian’, while people identifying as ‘non-religious’ increased by 8.1 million people since 2011 (ONS, 2021). This suggests that religion is playing a less significant role in British culture and that society is becoming more secular, naturally detaching from traditional beliefs of Christianity. Of course, Christianity is still apparent in our language and our celebrations, like Christmas and Easter; in school nativities and hymns (Tomkins, 2012). But many of us don’t think about those commonalities as exclusively religious, as those events have been so normalised that many view them as secular. So, it seems that Christianity is less significant to British culture than it was historically and that religious diversification was going to occur, considering the decline in traditional British religion. Religious diversity does not necessarily undermine cultural unity, as most religions are united by values of love, kindness, and selflessness. All of these are values we would associate with good, virtuous people -people who we would welcome into our communities in harmony and solidarity. 

Finally, arguing that immigration dilutes ‘native’ culture has deeply problematic roots in ultra-conservative nationalism, leading to chauvinism, -an ideology which informs modern far-right hate groups like the English Defense League. Chauvinistic nationalism is far more threatening to British culture than immigration could ever be. It facilitates division, violence, and racism which all are contrary to typical British values of tolerance and liberty. The far-right riots we saw over the UK this summer demonstrate how arguments about the defence of British culture can descend into violence, from which immigrants are directly in danger (Simone, 2024). This mistaken fear of losing British identity fuels anti-immigrant sentiments, which lead to racism and unrest. Unfortunately, this seems to be an attitude which continues to seep into the political landscape, as seen with the re-election of Donald Trump, and the previous Conservative Government’s “Stop the Boats” campaign in the UK.

In conclusion, British culture isn’t definable enough to be treated as a victim in the immigration debate. ‘Britishness’ is a feeling found within people, a set of general values and common habits. We all possess nuanced and differing cultural identities. But those differences do not necessitate division, instead, they add further value to our identities through the trade of new foods or music, which only makes each of us more dimensional. Perceiving immigration as a threat to British culture is a futile fear to possess and only limits ourselves to a world of potential benefits.

By Emma Titmas

Bibliography

Britannica,. (2016),. Action Française. Retrieved from Britannica: Available at:https://www.britannica.com/topic/Action-Francaise

Miller, D,. (2014),. Immigration: The Case for Limits. In A. Cohen, & H. Wellman, Contemporary Debates in Applied Ethics . 

ONS,. (2021),. Religion, England and Wales: Census 2021. Available at:Retrieved from Office for National Statistics : https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/culturalidentity/religion/bulletins/religionenglandandwales/census2021

Simone, D. D.D,. (2024),. Riots show how the UK's far right has changed. Retrieved from BBC News. [Online] Available at: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c74lwnxxxzjo (Accessed November 2024).(link needed)

Tomkins, S,. (2012),. How much Christianity is hidden in British society? Available at: Retrieved from BBC News: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-17112688