Abstract
This book addressed the debate about the present characteristics and the future of the City of London within the context of British “exceptionalism”. Although there is a thriving theoretical tradition that recognizes the existence of the peculiar, exceptional nature of the British capitalist evolution, in the most common interpretation, exceptionalism coincides with British traditionalism and retains only a symbolic meaning. In the interpretation adopted in this contribution, however, British exceptionalism is conceptualized as a structural phenomenon that characterizes not only the modalities in which the British economic system evolved, but also its historical and current performance. In particular, this approach recognizes in the persistence of traditionalism in British ideology the symptom of the existence of a clear division within the British capitalist class between its productive component and its financial one, the City of London, which has historically retained a hegemonic position in British civil and political society. This is reflected in the persistence of aristocratic, pre-industrial forms of political and cultural organization as the British financial and banking elite is recognized as the carrier of feudal, aristocratic cultural and social values.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Preview
Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Copyright information
© 2012 Leila Simona Talani
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Talani, L.S. (2012). Conclusion. In: Globalization, Hegemony and the Future of the City of London. Palgrave Macmillan, London. https://doi.org/10.1057/9780230349452_8
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1057/9780230349452_8
Publisher Name: Palgrave Macmillan, London
Print ISBN: 978-1-349-32739-3
Online ISBN: 978-0-230-34945-2
eBook Packages: Palgrave Economics & Finance CollectionEconomics and Finance (R0)