Archive · 21 Aug 2026
Zakia Sewell Searches for a Hidden, More Inclusive Britain
Zakia Sewell wrote a book about finding a different way to understand Britain.
She travels around the country, listening to people and learning about stories, festivals and customs.
The book is organised around eight seasonal celebrations called the Wheel of the Year.
Sewell says some traditions that seem very old were actually created fairly recently.
She believes folklore can help people feel connected to their communities and the land.
However, she also explains that folk traditions can sometimes be used by nationalists and fascists.
The book says Britain must face the harm caused by colonialism, empire and slavery.
Sewell hopes that understanding the past can help create a more welcoming Britain today.
Zakia Sewell’s Finding Albion combines travel memoir, essays, cultural study and people’s history.
The book uses the Wheel of the Year and seasonal festivals to explore British identity and folk culture.
Sewell argues that many supposedly ancient British traditions, including Morris dancing, were created relatively recently.
The book examines how colonialism, empire and slavery continue to shape Britain’s national self-image and history.
Sewell presents folklore as a source of ritual, community and belonging while warning that folk traditions can overlap with fascist politics.
- Who
- Zakia Sewell, author of Finding Albion: Myth, Folklore and the Quest for a Hidden Britain.
- What
- A review of Sewell’s book, which searches for a more inclusive understanding of British identity through folklore, travel and history.
- Where
- Britain and the United Kingdom, explored through Sewell’s travels and cultural research.
- Why
- Sewell seeks an alternative to exclusionary ideas of Britishness and examines how colonial history continues to influence the country.
- Book
- Finding Albion: Myth, Folklore and the Quest for a Hidden Britain
- Author
- Zakia Sewell
- Publisher
- Hachette
- Price
- ₹999
- Structure
- The book is organised around the eight seasonal festivals of the Wheel of the Year.
- Central theme
- The search for a less exclusionary, people-centered British identity.
- Historical focus
- The continuing influence of colonialism, empire and the slave trade on Britain’s self-image.