Trish Winter

Heroic anxieties: the figure of the British soldier in contemporary print media

Abstract This article is about representations of the figure of the British soldier in contemporary print media. Drawing on photographs reproduced across a range of newspapers over a specified time period in 2006, the article examines the salient features of the construction of the figure of the soldier within this quantity and diversity of images. A key distinction in this group of images is that between the anonymous and the named soldier. The use of generic images of soldiers is discussed. The article assesses the functions of these representations of the soldier in terms of the work that they do in consolidating specific narratives about armed conflict. The article argues that contemporary print media representations of the figure of the British soldier reflect anxieties about armed violence, and its legitimacy or otherwise.

Performing Englishness: Identity and politics in a contemporary folk resurgence

Performing Englishness examines the growth in popularity and profile of the English folk arts in the first decade of the twenty-first century. In the only study of its kind, the authors explore how the folk resurgence speaks to a broader explosion of interest in the subject of English national and cultural identity. Combining approaches from British cultural studies and ethnomusicology, the book draws on ethnographic fieldwork, interviews with central figures of the resurgence and close analysis of music and dance as well as visual and discursive sources. Its presentation of the English case study calls for a rethinking of concepts such as revival and indigeneity. It will be of interest to students and scholars in cultural studies, ethnomusicology and related disciplines.