Portuguese National Identity: Historical Constructions and Contemporary Expressions

Abstract

Abstract This chapter analyses the Portuguese national identity in an historical, socio-psychological, and comparative perspective. Following a processual approach to identity construction, we begin by presenting an overview of the historical development of Portuguese national identity. Then we explore the salience of national identification, showing that a high national attachment is prevalent among the Portuguese. The analysis of a fundamental emotion in national identification, pride, reveals how history is central in Portuguese expressions of it. Finally, two questions are explored. One ponders the relative weight of ethnic and civic characterizations of national belonging. The Portuguese case reveals that a combination of both is at the core of representations of national identity. The second question focuses on the possible exclusionary consequences of national identification. Specifically, results show that national identification per se does not impact on those attitudes, only an exclusivist conception of identity impacts on anti-immigration tendencies.