Living the British dream? Immigration, identity and the idea of citizenship in 21st century Britain

Abstract

Based on the assumption that everyone should have the opportunity to live the British dream, Michael Howard's 2005 Conservative Manifesto outlines a sense of nationhood, admiring excellence and encouraging ambition, whatever the background or colour of people's skin. Would this be possible? Can't we perceive in it a utopian desire to create a monoculture society? Would the same chances be given to everyone? Nonetheless, one of the main projects of the Conservative party is to set a limit on immigration in Britain. This paper's main purpose is to reflect upon the causes and consequences of immigration in Britain and what the government intends to do to integrate multicultural and multiethnic societies in the mainstream culture. Special focus will be put on a specific community in Britain: the Pakistanis. The central concern of this paper is basically to highlight similarities and differences in the concept and exercise of citizenship in Britain. ; Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia