A Memorial Address to a Passing Civilisation: Roger Scruton’s Elegy for England

Abstract

The present article deals with the concept of England, its culture and tradition in the work of well-known contemporary British conservative philosopher, Roger Scruton (b. 1944). His idea of English culture develops from the notion of home and belonging: in that sense, the England he mourns over what was once an “enchanted” place radiating a more or less comforting view of the English way of life. The article starts with a discussion of the process of “enchanting” England, then moves onto the physiognomy of Englishness, in particular the unique nature of various English institutions, and finally deals with Scruton’s defence of the nation state and the “situatedness” of English politics. The conclusion aims at evaluating Scruton’s contribution to the current discussion about English identity as well as its future in the EU and in the globalised world.