Identity in Britain: A cradle-to-grave atlas

by Bethan Thomas and Danny Dorling

Published by The Policy Press on Monday 10 September, 2007

Sixty million people live in Britain. Imagine sixty million. Imagine a map of sixty million. What would that map look like and what story would it tell us about identity in Britain today?

 
Identity in Britain cover

Danny and Bethan have brought together this outstanding atlas to provide us with a unique visual picture of identity and geography combined. Identity in Britain explores our changing identities as we progress from infancy to old age and tells the story of the myriad geographies of life in Britain.

Features and benefits include:

  • Over 280 full colour, detailed maps
  • Analysis of the contemporary neighbourhood geographies of people in Britain at various life stages
  • Clear introduction and how-to-use guide making the atlas highly accessible for a wide range of users
  • Locational reference maps to aid interpretation of the maps on each page
  • Accompanying web resources, including locational cartograms

Unlike conventional atlases of human geography, it allows us to see a range of data on a single map; further it allows us to easily see what social mixing does not occur as well as what does. Never before have we had such a vivid geographical picture of identity in Britain today.

The atlas is essential reading for those interested in contemporary human identity and the social geography of early twenty first century Britain. It is also an invaluable resource for researchers working in a wide range of statutory and voluntary organisations, policy makers, journalists, politicians, students and academics.

More details at The Policy Press:

Locator maps of regions & countries and of towns & cities can be found here:

The online appendix contains the locational maps of the parliamentary constituencies and neighbourhoods used throughout the atlas, together with look-up tables of neighbourhood and constituency names and numbers, and in which constituencies neighbourhoods are located:

Some example pages and maps from the book can be viewed here:

Press Coverage

The publication of Life in Britain was covered by all the major newspapers and on BBC radio. For a list of known links, and two audio files of Bethan's intervies, follow the link below.

An example map depicting council tax bands