Reconstructing British identity: Formula One, Michael Schumacher and the British Press at the turn of the century

Abstract

National identity is created through inclusions and exclusions; by who and what is included and who and what is excluded. This article examines how British identity was constructed, expressed, and re-constructed in the British press through articles about German Formula One driver Michael Schumacher in the 1990s and early 2000s. The representations of Schumacher, and the frequent invocations of the Second World War, illuminate insecurities in the British press about Britain’s role in the world and their concerns about a newly reunited Germany playing a more prominent role on the global stage.