The Emergence of the English

This book takes a critical approach to the assumption that the origins of the English can be found in fifth and sixth-century immigration from north-west Europe. It begins by evaluating the primary evidence, and discussing the value of ethnicity in historical explanation. The author proposes an alternative explanatory model that sets short and medium-term events and processes in the context of the longue durée , illustrated here through the agricultural landscape. She concludes that the origins of the English should rather be sought among late Romano-British communities, evolving, adapting, and innovating in a new, post-imperial context.Though focusing on England between the fifth and seventh centuries, this volume explores themes of universal interest-the role of immigration in cultural transformation; the importance of the landscape as a mnemonic for cultural change; and the utility of a common property rights approach as an analytical tool. [Publisher's Text]

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