If you want a balanced, beginner-friendly understanding of British society, culture, politics, and how the UK “thinks,” I’d probably suggest a mix of history, politics, class culture, and everyday social observation rather than heavy academic theory straight away.

A good starter list: Watching the English. probably the single best beginner book on everyday English behaviour, humour, class, awkwardness, pubs, queues, politeness, etc.

The Road to Wigan Pier — classic insight into class, industrial Britain, and social inequality. Notes from a Small Island — light, funny, but surprisingly insightful about British identity and regional culture.

Brit(ish) — modern discussion of race, identity, and Britishness. Politics On the Edge — one of the best modern introductions to how British politics actually functions behind the scenes.

British Politics: A Beginner's Guide — straightforward introduction to UK government and political structure.

In Defence of Politics — foundational British political thinking and why compromise matters in democracy. The Guardian

The Establishment — modern critique of power structures, media, and class networks in Britain.

The Ragged-Trousered Philanthropists — fictional, but hugely important for understanding British working-class consciousness.

The Lion and the Unicorn — short but brilliant on the contradictions of England and British identity during WWII.

For culture specifically: Watching the English is probably unmatched. The Uses of Literacy if you later want deeper understanding of British working-class culture. England, Their England for older satirical insight into English character.

For documentaries / TV: Yes Minister — honestly teaches you a shocking amount about British bureaucracy and politics through comedy.

The Thick of It — modern chaotic Westminster politics. Panorama — long-running investigative journalism. This England — COVID-era Britain and politics. For podcasts / YouTube: The Rest Is Politics — very accessible political discussion.

TLDR News Novara Media for left-wing perspective. The Spectator for conservative perspective. The key thing about Britain is that class, humour, understatement, regional identity, and history still quietly shape almost everything — often more than formal politics itself.