theory of alterity, an understanding of an entity in relation to what it is not, that drove the creation of a sense of British identity. Moreover, this is seemingly supported by Eric HobsbawmÊs statement that Âthere is no more effective way of bonding together the disparate sections of restless peoples than to unite them against outsidersÊ. It was on this strong Protestant bias combined with ÂalterityÊ that the British state after 1707 was founded and can still be seen to this day with the quintessentially British anthems; Jerusalem, Land of Hope and Glory, Rule Britannia and our national anthem. However it can be similarly seen that such desires of hegemony over France and Catholicism in general were actually evidence of an imperial mentality within Britain beginning to emerge and maybe the British were indeed imperialists and fully conscious of their imperial status. Similarly all echelons of society within Britain did indeed have a material role in terms of developing the ÂprogressÊ of the empire. This can be seen for instance, when examining the development and evolution of sports. Cricket for example was first played in southern England in the 16th century. It was the expansion of the British Empire which led to cricket being played overseas and meant that by the mid-19th century the first international matches were being held. Even today the game is most popular in former British colonies - Australia, the Indian subcontinent, the West Indies and Southern Africa. Cricket was by no means the only sport to develop under the empire. A similar story can be seen with rugby, snooker, golf and with the 1863 inaugural meeting of the Football Association (FA) yet it was cricket however which had the greatest influence within the empire - from determining ranks, supporting the class system and civilizing and spreading British ÂvaluesÊ within the empire, as argued by Brian Stoddart, to increasing jingoism and racial prejudices. Furthermore working-class children in school were generally more responsive to lessons and activities inspired by imperialism. This would seemingly corroborate the arguments of historians who
argue in favour of the existence of an imperial mentality within Britain.
Colley, whilst not discussing the role of sport directly, does acknowledge the importance that the British people had to play in the 'forging' of British national identity. In two chapters entitled 'manpower' and 'womanpower', Colley points to the role which the mass mobilization of women and men in wartime played in diffusing a sense of British patriotism and national identity. While hundreds of thousands of men were called up to the militia in the Napoleonic period, women, formally excluded from active citizenship, gave their support by participating in a range of voluntary societies and by contributing in multifarious ways to the war effort. Colley not only recognizes this crucial role that war played cementing a sense of Britishness but also acknowledges the important work done by the mass petitioning campaigns of the early nineteenth century in support of parliamentary reform and the abolition of the slave trade. 'The growing involvement in politics of men and women from the middle and working classes', Colley writes, was expressed Âas much if not more in support for the nation state, as it was in opposition to the men who governed it'. This seems to suggest therefore that society within Britain played an active role in supporting the empire. However this acceptance of the crucial importance of the British people in creating a sense of national identity and in developing the empire somewhat negates the argument that a British identity was simply superimposed onto separate countries following the Act of Union. The people themselves played an essential role, the notion of Britishness was not just one coined by the government following the 1707 Act of Union. Even those people who werenÊt in support of the empire, who were sickened by British fighting against their former countrymen in the American colonies, were subconsciously developing it. Perhaps therefore ColleyÊs argument cannot be used to support PorterÊs suggestion that the
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