National identity and disunity between nations Flashcards
Different factors that can reinforce national identity:
1)Sport -
People supporting their national teams against other countries in international sporting competitions
2)Politics -
Politicians try to get more votes by emphasizing their loyalty to a nation, e.g. British politicians mentioning actions towards NHS, an important institution to many Brits.
3)Education -
Teaching values of a country in school to promote a sense of national identity among the youth, e.g. in the US the school day starts by pledge of allegiance or singing national anthem
Challenges to national identity:
(Tata motors)
.Indian brand Tata Motors bought both Jaguar and Land Rover in 2008
.Lot of manufacturing moved overseas, to countries including India, China and Slovakia
.Beneficial as this foreign investment kept the companies going which were struggling financially, employs around 30,000 in UK
.Controversial as leads to job losses, but also there’s a loss of British identity as cars are assembled with parts from elsewhere and company is owned by Indian company
Challenges to National Identity:
(Foreign owned London property)
.Qatari investors own stakes in the Shard, Canary Wharf and Harrods
.Russia is another big investor in London property, own so many buildings in Belgrave Square it’s nicknamed Red Square
.Led to rising house prices and tax avoidance (properties registered in tax havens)
.2/3 of properties bought by foreign companies from 2008 to 2015 were registered to tax havens
.Has raised questions about national identity, many of London’s famous landmarks are no longer British-owned
Challenges to national identity that could be seen as positive:
(Disney in China)
.Disney has expanded its markets to China, Disney land in Shanghai as well as 140 learning centres teaching English to 150 000 children
.Disney promotes a Western brand which many Chinese people see it as symbols of economic success and social fluidity
Facts about UK being reliant on foreign nations:
-40% of infrastructure in the UK are owned by foreign investors
-Cheung Kong Infrastructure Holdings (Chinese investment company) own London’s electricity network
-3/4 of UK energy provided by 6 large companies, 4 being foreign (EDF from France, npower and E.ON from Germany, Scottish Power from Spain)
Tensions in emerging nations:
Brazil -
In 2016 there were protests as many Brazilians were frustrated by how much the Government spent to host the Olympics, instead of using that money to help alleviate poverty and battling the Zika virus
China -
Chinese government has established re-education camps in Tibet (area with high populations of Muslims Uyghur ethnic groups), some see this as an action to genocide as they’re being forced to do so, their cultures are under threat of erasure
Tensions in developed nations:
Catalonia -
Catalonia generates 20% of Spain’s wealth and many people believe their income is being used to subsidise Spain’s poorer regions, therefore there is a desire for independence from Spain but to stay in the EU
Scotland -
Similar to Catalonia, a lot of people want to leave the UK but still be part of the EU.
Scots don’t like the way that control of their country is being conducted by English politicians in London
In 2014 Scotland voted to remain in UK by a very narrow, areas like Dundee and Glasgow contributing greatly
What is a failed state?
Countries where government is not able to assert authority within the nation and has lost control over its national boundaries
Tensions in failed states:
Syria -
Civil war has been around since 2011 between Syrian government and rebel groups, claiming nearly 500 000 lives and displacing millions of Syrians
Since 2000, the economy has been largely been run by a group of entrepreneurs associated with the ruling family, meaning lots of inequality which only gets worse by money laundering and corruption
