National Identity

• identity is a sense of belonging to a particular nation or group
• 3 ways nationalism is reinforced?

  • sport - supporting national team in sporting competitions
  • politics - some politicians try to win support from voters by emphasising loyalty to nation e.g. stressing importance of NHS
  • education - UK government in 2014 introduced the idea of British Values into education system - being taught this in school may promote sense of national identity
• 3 things national identity can be based on?

  • legal systems - some believe their nations legal institutions are better than other countries
  • methods of governance - some are proud of their nations system of government
  • national character - stereotypes of personal traits of people from different countries like Germans love beer, Italian's are passionate and British have stiff upper lip
• national identity can also be based on landscape - English Countryside

  • people have the English countryside tied up with their idea of England and it being green, peaceful landscape which is reinforced through William Blake's art
  • nostalgia of England before industrialisation
  • specific landscapes are connected to identity of England like Stonehenge and white cliffs of dover - used by government in WW2 to encourage patriotic feelings
• National identity is challenged by multinational world

  • most countries are now made up of people from lots of ethnic groups, globalisation has increased diversity
  • its challenged as immigrant might support their football nation from origin country as well as host country
  • people may also retain language, food and traditions from country of origin
  • this can lead to tensions as people believe you can only be loyal to one nation