ABSTRACT
On June 23, 2016, citizens of the United Kingdom voted to exit from the European Union, a move commonly referred to as “Brexit.” The result of the referendum sent shock waves through the nation and had an immediate impact on the international economic and political landscape. Various analysts have suggested a host of reasons for the British public’s decision to leave the European Union, such as general dissatisfaction with falling wages and a declining standard of living, increased political mistrust, widespread concerns over rising levels of immigration, and growing anxiety over a perceived loss of national sovereignty. Notwithstanding these important factors, during the extensive, passionate, and fiercely contested debates that preceded and followed the referendum, it was strikingly evident that issues of national identity were of critical importance. Of significance, during the days leading up to the vote, two of Britain’s most widely read newspapers typically splashed their entire front covers with the British flag and unapologetically used emotive headlines to appeal to nationalist and patriotic sentiment. For example, one urged its readers to “BeLEAVE in Britain” (“We urge our readers,” 2016, June 14) and the other exclaimed on the day of voting: “Your Country Needs You: Vote Leave Today” (2016, June 23). Perhaps not surprisingly, the day after the referendum, one BBC reporter remarked, “What appears clear from the campaign is that the vote to leave was as much a statement about the country’s national identity, and all that involves, as it was about its economic and political future” (Eight reasons Leave won, 2016, June 24).
