Abstract In this article, the writer maintains that nationalidentity should take precedence over other possible identities in the United States, because the United States was founded on the principles of unity and trust, and because if the nationalidentity is not front and foremost in most people's eyes, civil unrest would erupt threatening the safety of all people living in the country. The writer notes that the United States is the only nation in the World to create a nationalidentity, partly because the United States welcomes as its own so many people from different nations, of different cultures, and people that speak different languages. The writer discusses that the nationalidentity that belongs to the United States is not one that is exclusive, but rather inclusive of all others. This is one reason the United States is a model of freedom for people throughout the world. The writer maintains that the democratic principles that govern the nation offer people of all languages, ethnicities, races and cultures to enjoy democracy and freedom for all, so there is no need for the people living in American to associate with any other identity than "American".
From the Paper "The cause of a nation may vary from dispute to dispute, but historically people have always identified with others in their group, the group that shares a common identity. When you are a member of a national identity, you are often considered part of a team, the same team that will provide you with guidance, safety, information and education. A national identity is something all Americans have, although some people do not present themselves in a way that would allow others to recognize this. What distinguishes the United States from other countries is its history of being a "melting pot". What this means is many people from many different cultures and those that speak many different languages live in the United States. This is much unlike other countries, where people tend to share one common identity. People speak one language typically in other countries, as the primary language. The same can not be said for people living in countries other than United States. If people do not readily accept the concept of a national identity, there is too much risk that war, violence and the loss of democracy must follow. This is one of many reasons the national identity is so important to the livelihood of this country and of the American people living within its borders. "
Abstract An examination of the relationship between ethnicity and identity as understood as basis structures of individual life-worlds. The essay is divided into two parts. The first part is devoted to sketching conceptual fieldwork, while the second part deals with the analysis of collected data. Therefore, in the first part, the writer explains the concepts ?identity?, and "ethnicity" and indicates possible ramifications the particular usage of concepts implies. In the second part, identity is discussed as a variable that influences ethnic ideologies one adheres to. In this part he also shows how the level which a particular ethnic group occupies at the stratification level, influences the shape of one's identity. In conclusion, the writer summarizes the findings by suggesting that identity and ethnicity mutually influence each other and they are both complementary expressions of each other.
From the Paper "In the following essay, I am going to locate the focal point of this problem in the one particular community - Highland Park High School. Highland Park is a small town in New Jersey, Middlesex County, where many emigrants from Eastern Europe, Asia, and Latin America are there. At the Highland Park High School, although not apparently seen, the question of identity and ethnic belonging is still a problem among the American youths. While staying a year at Highland Park, I have been thinking a lot about the problems characteristic for the multicultural societies. All the questions I have asked myself may be boiled down to one single question ? namely, whether ethnicity and identity should be treated as interdependent variables, or rather one of them is more fundamental?"
Abstract This paper discusses the role played by collective remembrance and forgetting of war in the reproduction of nationalidentities. The paper contends that the most fundamental effect war remembrance has on nationalidentity is in the cohesion it brings to the nation by highlighting the universality of the war experience for the nation's members. The paper focuses on American and European war experiences, in general and the world wars, in particular.
From the Paper "As David Ingle and Carolyn Marvin say in Blood Sacrifice and the Nation, "Violent blood sacrifice makes enduring groups cohere." Collective war remembrance and forgetting are both important factors in shaping national identity. The collective remembrance of war adds coherence and strength to pre-existing national identities in four important ways. First, collective remembrance underscores the universality of the war experience for the nation's members: Everyone is affected; everyone can relate to the same pain and the same myths. Second, it can define a beak with the past, the beginning of a new era. Third and fourth, collective remembrance can elicit feelings of both pride and indebtedness. Since the self and the military are both identified with the national community, these feelings are transferred to the nation. The intensity and balance of these feelings varies greatly in different nations and eras. The collective forgetting of war occurs in two situations. In the first situation, forgetting is a counterpart to collective remembrance. Aspects of the war that would challenge national identity are forgotten. The second situation is that of a defeated nation for whom war memories produce shame."
Abstract This paper analyzes and then compares and contrasts the Australian and American nationalidentities. The author examines the factors that have shaped those identities, including similar histories as British colonies, democratic systems of government, natural resources and culture. The author concludes that Australia and the United States have forged their nationalidentities based upon similar idealized beliefs tied to the land. Australia, however, appears to be a "little brother" to the United States; always just a few steps behind, yet always following in the footsteps.
From the Paper "The national identity or image a country presents has an impact on how the citizens of the country perceive themselves and how the rest of the world views them. Several different cultural factors influence and shape this image, and the identity can change with the passage of time. Language, religion, music, and ethnic interactions help to shape the character and perception of a country and its culture. Heritage, beliefs, and traditions all contribute to how a country's people look at themselves and the country they call home. Australia and the United States have journeyed through time along a very similar course. In both of these countries, the perception of land, frontier, and wide-open spaces have combined with the cultural influences to shape this national identity."
Abstract This paper uses the resources of Linda Colley's "Britons," a book about how such an identity came to be. It shows that the religion, British Protestantism, and its unique monarchy, as well as imperialistic dominance all played a part in creating a pride in being British.
From the paper:
"The United Kingdom today, along with France and Germany, is thought of as having one of the strongest senses of nationalidentity of any country in the current European Community. Yet this was not always the case. How did a concept of "Englishness" or "Britishness" develop and solidify in the national consciousness? How did this small island nation of Scots, Welsh, and Anglo-Irish, and Anglos form a cohesive sense of themselves? Linda Colley's book 'Britons' attempts to answer this question."
Abstract Collective war remembrance and forgetting are both important factors in shaping nationalidentity. The paper explores how the collective remembrance of war adds coherence and strength to pre-existing nationalidentities in four important ways.
From the Paper "The cohesion may include an element of exclusivity. In earlier years, the Jewish diaspora was sometimes accused of commemorating the Holocaust in such a way as to exclude commemoration of non-Jews such as the Roma and Sinti. Conversely, Romani Holocaust commemoration emphasizes the uniqueness of the Romani and Sinti genocide with its frequent mention of the uniquely high percentage of those populations killed."
Abstract In this article, the writer discusses what being "Canadian" means. In other words, the writer looks at the essence of the Canadian nationalidentity. The writer notes that this is a surprisingly difficult question to answer and that it will not suffice to say that being Canadian means not-being-American! In this essay, the difficulties inherent in defining Canadian nationalidentity are discussed. Furthermore, the paper argues that hockey has gained even greater symbolic currency in recent years as one of the few institutions that one still imagines to be truly Canadian.
From the Paper "There are not many countries in the world where people wonder as much about their national identity as in Canada. Most Iraqis, for example, seem pretty clear about who they are, as do most South Africans, most Americans, most Brits, etc. Perhaps it has something to do with the fact that Canada maintains allegiance to the British queen, despite the fact that most Canadians will never see her Majesty, or stand under the grey skies of Great Britain - and at the same time, we are neighbours to the greatest, most dominant empire ever seen on the planet, i.e. the USA. Perhaps it is this that leads Canadians to their sense of confusion - we're no longer British, we definitely don't want to be American - so what are we? Moreover, it does not help that NAFTA, globalization and a spreading global mono-culture are clouding the issue further."
Abstract This paper explains that Umut Ozkirimli stated in ?Theories of Nationalism? that nationalism has been around for more than two hundred years, but serious scholarly examinations of the origins and spread of nationalism did not begin to pick up momentum until after WWII. The author points out that this book is best when arguing Ozkirimli's perspective and bringing others? views to light. The paper relates that Anthony Smith's book seeks to separate ?nationalism? from ?nationalidentity?.
From the Paper "Smith points out that Gellner (whose ideas and work appear on 44 pages of Ozkirimli's book, but in only 3 pages of Smith's book), the ?modernist,? says nationalism (page 71) ?is not the awakening of nations to self-consciousness; it invents nations where they do not exist,? albeit it does need some "pre-existing differentiating marks to work on"? That statement is disputable, given the nationalism that has run its course in the 20th Century. Did Hitler awaken Germany to self-consciousness in the late 1930s, adroitly exploiting the German common man's resentment for the outcome of WWI? The answer has to be yes."
Abstract The paper relates that despite the notion of a nationalidentity being threatened by both globalization and the apparent segmentation of Canada into smallish, disparate elements, it is evident that a Canadian culture still exists. The paper examines how ice hockey is typically associated by both Canadians and foreigners with Canada, the nation credited as its birthplace. The paper discusses how Canadians play hockey and enjoy watching it and it is also linked with society in terms of sport, relaxation, literature and fiction.
From the Paper "The concept of a common national interest and Canadian identity in relation to any field is a tricky one in this current environment of thriving globalization. However, one can identity key national themes upon examining observers' perceptions of a national climate, for example the Canadian state. Many other countries identify Canada as being a country that is not only the home of maple syrup and the bearer of the red leafed flag, but the home of ice hockey, one of the globe's most popular and growing sports. This is despite the notion of a national identity being threatened by both globalization and the apparent segmentation of Canada into smallish, disparate elements, as evidence by the distinctiveness of Quebec society."
Tags: common, culture, national, interest, society, symbol
Abstract This paper discusses the difficulty of the establishment of a European identity, questioning whether any European identity can be formed at all. The paper explains that the present union consists of a large number of member states and all these states have existed for a long time and have distinct nationalidentities. The paper examines the basic question of whether a European demos and identity can be formed and how that will compete with the existing nationalidentities. The paper also questions whether a "new" European identity will change the nationalidentities and if so, how much of a change is really required. The paper presents the belief that the nature of identity for Europe cannot be the same as a nationalidentity, as the nations have been formed through struggle for recognition for a particular culture, history, language and identity.
Outline
Introduction
Policy Making & Agenda Setting
Enlargement
A European Constitution
Conclusion
From the Paper "The formation of nations can be started from the top of society by the elites, or through different types of social movements or other organized action. In all cases the start of a separate nation involves recognition for a particular national community in the world around the community. This recognition is received by the people who are a part of the group, or are made a part of the group. For Europe to be viewed as a nation, there has to be recognition of some unique features of being a European, and that has to be of history, culture and language. This has to be recognized by the Europeans. The search for cultural unity has to be combined with a search for the unique and separate features of Europe so that the Europeans can distinguish themselves from non-Europeans. This makes it unlikely that there will be a European identity similar to that of a nation. Instead one has to look for a European identity that can exist above the national identity."
An exploration of the part of hockey in the composition of Canada's nationalidentity, focusing on a program broadcasted by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC).
Abstract The paper looks at multi-ethnicity in Canada and at what unifies this nation. It focuses on the sport of hockey as an important component of the country's nationalidentity. It looks at the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation and its struggle for identity, claiming that when it broadcasted its first "Hockey Night" in Canada, it found it's "true being". The paper explores the origin and importance of CBC's "Hockey Night" to national unity. It explains how the program crossed the boundaries of young and old, rich and poor, urban and rural, French and English, east and west. The paper also discusses the controversial aspect of the program's time slot, overlapping the national news. The status of the program as a source of education is mentioned and the paper concludes with a review of the contribution of CBC's "Hockey Night" to the nationalidentity of Canadians.
From the Paper "Canada is comprised of many different cultures, spread over a vast geographical region. The only way for all these different types of people all over Canada to create a cohesive united nation to dwell on the similarities, which are shared amongst the majority. Cultural identity, it could be said can found when a whole nation can share in and care about a similar subject. For Canada this sense of national identity is represented by the sport of hockey. In any social or academic setting where the topic of discussion is Canadian identity the lists always begin with peacekeeping and multiculturalism and always come back to hockey. Some may say hockey is only a symbol of Canadian identity, and is no different then a moose, a beaver, or long winters. Hockey however has more then a symbolic animal because hockey gives a spirit of unification and it is here where our country has celebrated some of its greatest victories and most horrifying defeats. The love of the sport of hockey may not be shared by all Canadian citizens, but it is certainly been loved and adored by many since its beginnings in Montreal in 1875."
A discussion of 19th century questions of racial and nationalidentity based on "Burg-Jargal" by Victor Hugo and "Michael Kohlhaas" by Heinrich von Kleist.
Abstract This paper examines how Victor Hugo and Heinrich von Kleist pose the question of an individual's shaky sense of racial, national and personal identity in both the texts of "Burg-Jargal" and "Michael Kohlhaas". It looks at how the authors trace notions of personal identity directly to societal causes, influences and forms of societal oppression, but identity is always something immutable and true in the minds of their main characters. It evaluates how rather than psychological explanation being the key to either novel, the notion of identity emerges as a kind of litmus test for the relative justice of a particular element society.
From the Paper "Burg-Jargal by Victor Hugo deals with the Haitian Revolution of the author's day. Thus, it may, on the surface, seem quite separate from issues of identity that would plague the French author. However, this also means that identity plays a crucial element in the text, for in any revolution of independence, what constitutes the nature of independence and of national identity is called into question. Hugo uses the events that transpire to show the hypocrisy of a society based on slavery that ignores the needs of its ordinary people because of their race. The love that the slave Pierrot feels for Marie becomes a symbol of a world that is split between slave and free. Identity becomes related to one's physical and social status in an unjust way, in a way that even love cannot fully extricate."
Abstract This paper argues that, although identity politics has long been perceived as supremely important to the continued success of political and social institutions, there are indications that this approach to understanding nationalidentity is incorrect or at least exaggerated. The author examines the role that identity politics plays in the Canadian context and concedes it may no longer be a driving consideration in the success of political and social institutions. The paper concludes that, since Canadian "uniqueness" among Western democracies is largely mythical, the decreasing importance of identity politics in Canada points to a larger shift among Western democracies towards societies in which unity of identity is no longer the crucial factor in the success of the state.
From the Paper "Despite this, Canada as a nation has not crumpled or torn itself apart via internal strife and division. The nation's political and social institutions have been as successful as ever even as identity politics has become increasingly banal and multi-level, fluid identities have proliferated. The obvious conclusion that can be drawn from this social and political reality is that identity politics is no longer the defining factor in determining the success of a nation. For instance, despite consistently failing to identify themselves as Canadian instead of Quebecois, that particular subgroup still utilizes and participates in Canadian social and political institutions."
Abstract The paper discusses how Australia's citizens have no nationalidentity and this freedom from a defined nationalidentity allows each separate culture to live and develop according to its own principles. The paper examines how current values in society influence the education system, while education also has a profound effect upon the evolving world in which it functions. The paper traces the history of the ancient Aboriginal tribes, the British convicts and then the later settlers. The paper discusses how a class system developed, with the settlers believing they were a superior class and the convicts being concerned with equality and human rights. The paper illustrates how this class segregation manifested itself in the education system.
From the Paper "The first national Australian identity in prehistory manifested itself in the ancient Aboriginal tribes. Rather than a single identity, each tribe had its own identity that it guarded fiercely. The in-group identity was maintained at all costs (Swanson, 2000). This seems to have set the stage for the Australian idea that, even in modern times, there is no all-encompassing Australian identity.
"The first white citizens to make their home in Australia were British convicts. Their numbers were later supplemented with free British settlers, referred to as the Exclusives. The Convicts became Emancipists, implying their freedom from British rule, whereas the Exclusives were very pro-British (Swanson, 2000). The hostility between these two groups matched that between the various Aborigine tribes in the country."
Abstract Since the attacks on the United States on September 11, 2001, government officials have considered what can be done to reduce the chance of another successful attack, with some proposing to issue federally controlled identity cards. This paper argues, however, that even our most tightly-controlled document, the passport, isn?t free from use in false identification. While protecting our country from further terrorist attacks is of crucial concern, given our track record, it does not seem likely that our federal government can create an incorruptible system of identification. The paper argues that, for this reason, nationalidentity cards could actually increase our risk of attack, since the terrorists would probably obtain such identity cards as well.
From the Paper "The argument in favor of national identity cards is of course that we would create systems that circumvent false information being used to obtain them, and that because the need is so great, the necessity is just as great. The critics point to the same evidence, that the hijackers obtained the identification they used to board the planes because of weaknesses in our documentation systems."
