Do the histories of nations like the United Kingdom and United States preclude any form of patriotism or nationalism? Many prominent voices today would answer in the affirmative. One leading scholar, however, argues that the answer depends on proper – not merely popular – historical understanding.
Nigel Biggar, Anglican theologian, priest, and ethicist, is Emeritus Regius Professor of Moral Theology at the University of Oxford and Distinguished Scholar in Residence at Pusey House, Oxford. Following the release of his recent book on British colonialism, Biggar wove together the topics of history, politics, nationalism, and conservatism in his talk “Why History Matters,” presented at National Conservatism’s UK conference in London.
National identity is heavily built on imagination, Biggar said: “we imagine ourselves to be part of a national narrative or story which endows our little lives with larger, if not ultimate, significance.” This national story includes…
