Self-help and Civic Culture

Download or read book Self-help and Civic Culture written by Anne B. Rodrick and published by Ashgate Publishing, Ltd.. This book was released on 2004 with total page 280 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Focusing on the city of Birmingham, and drawing on both local and national sources, Self Help and Civic Culture explores the changing nature of self improvement and citizenship in Victorian Britain. By approaching the concept of citizenship from the perspective of provincial identity and its relationship to wider ideas of 'Englishness' and 'Britishness', a distinct ideal of citizenship is discovered. By drawing together various issues of citizenship, self-improvement, class and political power, Self Help and Civic Culture re-examines the on-going attempts to determine who could claim the full rights, duties, privileges and responsibilities of the larger social body, thus illuminating the relationship between culture and power in nineteenth-century England.