British national identity was never organic, it was constructed through imperial conquest, economic dominance, and the ‘othering’ of outsiders.


By unpacking this invention across key eras, we expose how deeply Empire shaped the way Britain saw itself as well as how that legacy persists today.


Britain didn’t just rule the world, it built its sense of self on that rule.


And now that the Empire is gone, Britain’s identity is crumbling with it.