unit 1A - topic 9 - national identity

Question 1

define national identity

Answer 1

how we see ourselves and how others see us in relation to nationality:
birth 👶, citizenship 🛂
nationality gives us distinctive norms and values

Largely SOCIAL CONSTRUCT 🏗 through symbols, anthems, rituals

Question 2

define Nationalism

Answer 2

a political idea that claims the right of every nation to have its own historical homeland and an independent state to run its own affairs

Question 3

Bridget Byrne

Answer 3

attended CITIZENSHIP CEREMONIES, used interviews 🎤 and observation 👁
Speeches focussed on traditional stories of democracy🙋, independence 💪, freedom 🔓, collective memories 🧠 (WW2).

SYMBOLS used to present England nicely 💷🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿☕️💂‍♀️🌳
IDEALISED VERSION: omitted dark parts of history e.g. slave trade
based on CRUDE STEREOTYPES: ignores similarities between cultures and variation within

national identity = social construction 🏗
‘imagined community’ 💭

Question 4

Kate Fox 🦊 2005

Answer 4

Watching the English: cultural diversity between nations

English 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 created a DISTINCTIVE WAY OF COMMUNICATING 🗣 — language codes
talk abt weather to establish friendship.
Complicated CONVERSATION CODES, hidden rules

Contrasts to FINLAND 🇫🇮 who prefer silence unless there r important topics

Question 5

discuss evidence to show that national identity is CHANGING

Answer 5

🌍globalisation: TTT 📱✈️💰
—> decline in unique sense of national identity?

Question 6

Ritzer

Answer 6

🌍😒

GLOBALISATION —> HOMOGENISATION —> AMERICANISATION, MCDONALDISATION 🍔 —> LOSS OF UNIQUE SENSE OF NATIONAL IDENTITY + PRECIOUS CULTURAL DIVERSITY

Question 7

Stuart Hall

Answer 7

3 responses to globalisation:

— accept global culture, HOMOGENISATION 🍔
— take on SOME parts of global culture, CULTURAL HYBRIDITY 🥘
— reject 🖕global culture, CULTURAL RESISTANCE 💪

Question 8

Sadar 2002

Answer 8

GLOBAL 🌍 IDENTITY 🆔 CRISIS 😧
—> traditional ideas of east v west / communism ⚒️ vs capitalism 💳 BROKEN DOWN SINCE END OF ❄️ COLD WAR 1990
—> Britain losing identity as global superpower with empire 📉

Sadar: we 🇬🇧 should find confidence in identity based on DIVERSITY and WHAT WE HAVE IN COMMON

Question 9

Ford 🚘 and Goodwin 👍🏆 2010

Answer 9

Rise 📈 of BNP (British National Party)
2001 - 2010, increase by over 500 000

Middle-aged employed white males in LOWER SOCIAL CLASSES
—> precarious position, feel threatened 😯😠 by immigration, more likely to vote BNP

Question 10

Zempi

Answer 10

EXTREME RACISM towards British Asian Muslim women who wear burqa

Ignored by shop keepers, comments from strangers etc.

SHOWS SOME GROUPS’ DETERMINATION TO CLING TO TRADITIONAL BRITISHNESS (defined by whiteness, strict immigration borders)

🙄

Question 11

how has ‘traditional Britishness’ been reinforced?

Answer 11

government policies try to implement COMMUNITY COHESION: citizens have value consensus and sense of togetherness. bc of rising number of nationalities.
2011, 44.9% of London was White British

Citizenship education + citizenship tests: informal social control?

similar examples: Trump 🧱🚫, Welsh reclaiming native language Cymraeg 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿

SHOWS IMPORTANCE OF NATIONAL IDENTITY