Campaign Aims to Redefine Englishness with 50 Cultural Artefacts
A new campaign is seeking to collect 50 objects that encapsulate Englishness in an effort to shift the conversation away from reductive arguments over national symbols like the St George's flag. The initiative, called A Very English Chat, encourages people to share five cultural artefacts that define their English identity by 2026, aiming to foster a more inclusive and nuanced dialogue.
Moving Beyond Divisive Debates
Supported by prominent figures including Green party politician Caroline Lucas, musician and campaigner Billy Bragg, and law professor Kojo Koram, the campaign targets England's growing social divisions and political polarisation. Andy Green, the founder of the donation-funded project, stated that the goal is to "take the heat" out of contentious discussions around Englishness, which often revolve around flag displays. He warned that England is tearing itself apart, similar to trends observed in America, and urgent action is needed to avoid sleepwalking down a path of deeper division.
With St George's Day approaching on 23 April, Green emphasised the need for a richer, more inclusive response to this focal point for national identity. The collected artefacts will be used to create items such as decks of cards, posters, T-shirts, and tea towels, promoting a shared cultural narrative.
Diverse Contributions and Cultural Significance
Cultural artefacts for the campaign can include objects, places, people, or even anecdotes, spanning categories like music, food, and nature. These contributions aim to capture people's feelings, stories, and affinities—or lack thereof—with England. For example, some participants have suggested items like a Morris Minor car, a beach windbreak, chicken tikka masala, or the Magna Carta, highlighting the wide range of what defines Englishness.
The initiative is backed by the Jo Cox Foundation's More in Common Network and other social campaign groups, such as Grow Social Capital, which focuses on helping communities tell their collective stories from the bottom up. This collaborative approach seeks to build a more generous and open conversation about national identity.
Notable Supporters and Their Choices
Sarah Lucas, author of Another England, a book exploring English identity and divisive narratives, has endorsed the project as "timelier and more important." She highlighted the Beatles album Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band as a cultural artefact that sums up Englishness, noting that bringing individuals together to share reflections can uncover more compelling and inclusive stories of national identity.
Billy Bragg, who selected Marmite and George Orwell's The Lion and the Unicorn, remarked that patriotism is about caring for one's country and that identity is always contested. He pointed to arguments over flags on lampposts as examples, stressing the need to explore what these symbols truly mean. Bragg believes this project to bring Englishness into focus is exceptionally timely.
Kojo Koram added that at a time when identity conversations can easily become polarised or exclusionary, this initiative offers something generous, open, and unifying. He noted that England has always been shaped by layers of history, culture, creativity, and dissent, and exploring this richness through shared reflection feels both necessary and hopeful. It reminds us that England is not just something that exists but something we can continually shape and redefine.
Overall, the A Very English Chat campaign represents a proactive effort to address social rifts by celebrating the diverse elements that compose English culture, from historical milestones to everyday items, fostering a sense of unity and shared heritage.
