Contemporary National Identity Research Articles

The View of Kazakh Proverbs on Contemporary National Identity

Kaynaklarda Türkistan, Turan, Orta Asya, Merkezî Asya gibi farklı adlandırmalarla kaydedilen coğrafyada var olan modern ulus kimliklerin karşılıklı ilişkileri, farklı açılardan incelenmeye değer bir
 konudur. Resmî tarih yazımı, edebiyat tarihi, şekillenmiş edebî dil sorunlu olmakla birlikte çizilmiş siyasi sınırlara dayalı biçimde kurulmuş olan ulus devletlerin ve dolayısıyla çoğunluğunu Türk
 boylarının oluşturduğu modern kimliklerin arasında günümüzde keskin çizgiler mevcuttur. Makalede Kazak atasözlerinde Özbek, Sart, Rus, Tatar, Türkmen başta olmak üzere diğer topluluklarla
 ilgili kayıtlar; tarihî süreç de dikkate alınarak günümüze yansımaları çerçevesinde değerlendirilmiştir. Günümüzde keskin çizgileri ortaya çıkaracak bir bakış açısının Kazak atasözleri temelinde desteklenip desteklenmediği sorusu çerçevesinde bir değerlendirme yapılmıştır. Makalenin temel amacı keskin ulus kimliklerin ortaya çıkışına sebep olan bakış açılarının atasözlerine yansıyıp yansımadığı sorusuna cevap aramaktır. Makalenin temel malzemesini yayımlanmış atasözleri oluşturmaktadır. Çalışmada alan araştırması çerçevesinde derlenen malzemeler kullanılmamakla birlikte etnografik yönteme dayalı gözlemlerden istifade edilmiştir.

Why Not Mahan? Path Dependence in Modern Japanese Geostrategic Thinking of the Pacific

Abstract It is well known that during the 1930s and the 1940s intellectuals in Japan, an island state, devoured geopolitical theories constructed in a typical ‘land power’, Germany. Not only did this fad contradict the geographical reality of Japanese territory. It was also at odds with Japan’s contemporary national identity as a maritime state. This article highlights intellectual path dependence as the key to explaining this conundrum. The initial decision that paved the way for the adoption of the German tradition of geopolitics was made shortly before the outbreak of the Russo-Japanese War by political scientist Onozuka Kiheiji, who consciously opted for the geographical ideas of Friedrich Ratzel instead of the naval strategy of Alfred Thayer Mahan as a theoretical guide and justification for empire-building. This article illustrates how the choice made by Onozuka induced his students, who became leading intellectual figures after World War I, to follow the evolution of German geopolitics and to propagate the ideas of Karl Haushofer at the beginning of the Pacific War. The article ends by briefly describing how the Geopolitik tradition was overcome by the formation of a new maritime national identity after the war.

Philology and racist appropriations of the medieval

AbstractRecent decades have seen an increase in white supremacist appropriations of the Middle Ages. While many medievalists have sought to distance medieval studies from racist appropriations, these appropriations echo positions advanced and legitimized by philologists especially during the nineteenth century. Medieval studies as a discipline developed in the nineteenth century during the rise of nationalist movements, which often manifested as racial nationalism in Europe and the United States, and philologists actively participated in these movements by projecting contemporary national identity unto a constructed medieval past. These philologists often conflated language and race, and their nationalist scholarship helped justify imperialism. Although the ideas of these philologists are considered outdated, they set the foundation for racist appropriations of the Middle Ages and established nationalist frameworks that continue to influence the academy.

Suffering and Survivorship: Mythologies and Contested Narratives of War in Serbian Museums

Museums that commemorate war have a uniquely influential role in determining how the nation approaches its past, and navigate highly politicized issues of loss and victimhood. Far less understood is how curatorial approaches to historical conflicts can influence museum practices regarding more recent wars. In this article, we explore how three museums of national history in Serbia narrate historical wars. Each museum is focused on articulating the story of the nation, albeit with markedly differing emphases in their collecting practices and curatorial strategies. Analysing objects and narrative texts, we suggest that Serbian historical museums engage visitors in ethical questions and topics that are often otherwise silenced. We draw attention to the resurgence of deep historical narratives, emphasizing Serbs’ connection to the environment, faith, and landscape, as a means to assert the continued relevance of historical wars to contemporary national identity. In doing so, museums seek to engage in the fraught politics of memory relating to the Yugoslav Wars.

I’m So Bored with the USA: Reflecting America in British Punk Memoirs of the 1970s

In recent years there have been an increasing number of biographies and autobiographies written by the leading figures of the British punk scene of the Seventies and Eighties. As we pass the 40th anniversary of 1977, it can be argued that the British punk scene has also ‘come of age’ in academia with a number of retrospectives that examine not only the contemporary impact of punk in the Seventies but also the legacy of the punk movement in shaping British culture.
 With a focus on John Lydon’s text Rotten: No Irish, No Blacks, No Dogs (1993) and Viv Albertine’s Clothes, Clothes, Clothes. Music, Music, Music. Boys, Boys, Boys (2014), this article will examine how these autobiographies draw attention to ways in which the British sub-cultural scene offered a platform through which British culture and identity could be reassessed as anti-American and anti-capitalist. This study will also highlight to what extent the self-reflexive framing of these personal narratives within the larger political, cultural and social landscape, can be read as a characteristic feature of the British punk memoir. Through these texts it is possible to uncover the pivotal role of the British punk scene in the development of a counter cultural identity that mirrored changes in the contemporary national identity. As such, punk memoirs, biographies and autobiographies not only give perspectives on a subversive youth cultural scene but, perhaps more importantly, can offer unique insights into the evolution of post-imperial British identity.

Identitet i samostid – Kako to izgleda kod Bošnjaka. Prilog razumijevanju nekih karakteristika nacionalne svijesti kod Bošnjaka

Identitet i samostid – Kako to izgleda kod Bošnjaka. Prilog razumijevanju nekih karakteristika nacionalne svijesti kod Bošnjaka

Creating an inclusive and participatory way-finding canvas for All

The recent development of the Chinese visual culture has shown the coexistence and the combination of two major trends: a seamless development involving changes and innovation, and a clear break between a before, often not so distinctly defined, and a now. Here, we can find that the idea of a contemporary national identity, that can be detected in crafts, art, graphics, design, architecture, fashion, music, dance and so on, is going through a process of constant development and maturation. This article summarises and discusses the process and some of the outcomes of a three years research project with a Design for All approach (DfA), started at Tongji University, and which aimed at co-creating a way-finding system through an open platform towards a strategic inclusive approach in the college. Our goal has been to offer a structured canvas to the school for the professors, the students and the staff so they could freely experience it, interpret it and work on it while adding new layers relative to the all the various present and future projects: a participatory, transcultural, multisensorial, inclusive and autopoietic project, i.e. DfA in its core.

Stosunek społeczeństwa polskiego do przeszłości a tożsamość narodowa. Analiza badań sondażowych

<p>Opracowanie podejmuje problem znaczenia przypisywanego przeszłości i historii przez współczesne społeczeństwo polskie w kontekście tożsamości narodowej. Na podstawie reprezentatywnych badań sondażowych z ostatnich lat autor stara się odpowiedzieć na pytania: W jakim stopniu Polacy interesują się historią własnego kraju? Na ile dzieje własnej wspólnoty narodowej są źródłem dumy bądź wstydu? W jakim stopniu znajomość historii mieści się w postulowanych postawach patriotycznych i w ogóle stanowi istotne kryterium uznania kogoś za Polaka? Przeprowadzona analiza prowadzi do konkluzji, że wspólna przeszłość jest jednym z kluczowych elementów współczesnej tożsamości narodowej Polaków.</p>

National identity in the contemporary Baltics: comparative quantitative analysis

ABSTRACTThis paper is about contemporary national identity attitudes in the three Baltic states as ethnic democracies. It presents the results of a quantitative comparative study using data from the International Social Survey Program, collected in 2013. The parameters of comparison include the perceived importance of various national identity criteria and the pride in a nation’s achievements in various spheres. The results show that Baltic national identity focuses not on ethnic homogeneity, but on commitment and loyalty, to reflect upon the current situation more than the historical past, and to have the potential for the integration of ethnic minority members.

Economic crisis and the crisis of national identity in Slovenia: toward a new notion of social order

This paper addresses the influence of the economic crisis on national identity in Slovenia. It first analyzes the creation of the contemporary national identity following independence in 1991 that was established in relation to a negatively perceived Balkan identity, which represented “the Other,” and in relation to a “superior” European identity that Slovenia aspired to. With the economic crisis, the dark corners of Slovenia's “successful” post-socialist transition to democracy came to light. Massive layoffs of workers and the bankruptcies of once-solid companies engendered disdain for the political elites and sympathy for marginalized groups. The public blamed the elites for the country's social and economic backsliding, and massive public protests arose in 2012. The aftermath of the protests was a growing need among the people for a new social paradigm toward solidarity. We show that in Slovenia the times of crisis were not times of growing nationalism and exclusion as social theory presupposes but, quite the contrary, they were times of growing solidarity among citizens and with the “Balkan Other.”

A Polish Ethno-Religion? Some Thoughts on The Baptism of Poland and Contemporary National Identity

A Polish Ethno-Religion? Some Thoughts on The Baptism of Poland and Contemporary National Identity

A British Perspective on the War and Military Forces Clause of the Japanese Constitution

From the British perspective, a broad interpretation of Article 9 allowing Japan to act in unilateral and collective self-defence in response to actual and imminent attacks is desirable. Given the written nature of the Japanese Constitution, the best way to entrench such an interpretation would be through constitutional amendment. Prime Minister Abe’s vision of Japan taking a more proactive role in international and regional security issues is aligned with UK interests. Yet it cannot be overlooked that Article 9, even though it was imposed by the US, has become an integral part of Japanese perspectives on their contemporary national identity. The crisis over Syria has triggered a re-examination of both the UK’s and Japan’s values. The key question is whether Japan’s proactive role in international security can embrace security concerns beyond its own country and people.

Eastern in the West, Western in the East: Deliberate and Ambivalent Facets of the Identity of Early Republican Turkey Abroad

AbstractThis paper represents an attempt to reflect on the Turkish identity in the formation period of the Republic, from its constitution in 1923 until 1939. The discussion is focused around two buildings that were constructed in 1939, both of which were built abroad to represent the new state; the Embassy of Turkey in Tehran and the Turkish pavilion at the New York World’s Fair. These buildings were both featured in the same issue of the architectural magazine Mimar, and offer a fruitful starting point for delving into historical and theoretical issues in identity discourse. That said, the paper goes beyond merely analyzing the different formal vocabularies and personalities of the different architects and patrons involved in commissioning these structures. Rather than addressing only the different cultural and architectural responses to the contemporary national identity debate, the paper will also consider the question of whether the host countries and the addressees of these rather symbolic buildings also had a role in their design and evaluation stages. In other words, the study aims to understand how representation in a location in the “West” or in the “East” affects the identity of a nation characterized by its duality of “West” and “East.”

Postcolonial guilt and national identity: historical injustice and the Australian settler state

In nations with a record of historical injustice, guilt about the past is deeply implicated in both efforts towards reconciliation and the construction of national identity. This is as true in notionally postcolonial nations, where past injustice is often denied or avoided, as it is in situations where conflict and injustice have been more recent, overt or visible to the rest of the world. Taking the Australian case as an example, this article considers the dimensions of historical collective guilt, and explores the implications of that guilt for contemporary national identity in postcolonial nations. It argues that until a nation is able to deal with social psychological barriers to addressing historical injustice, it is likely to construct and maintain a narrow and defensive form of nationalism.

Permanent hauntings: spectral fantasies and national trauma in Guillermo del Toro's El espinazo del diablo [The Devil's Backbone

To admit the presence of a ghost is to establish a relationship between fantasy and national trauma. Guillermo del Toro’s The Devil’s Backbone(2001) symbolically locates in an orphanage the struggling sides of the Spanish Civil War and tries to come to terms with the ghosts of the historical past by means of the repetition of a traumatic event triggered by the presence of the revenant, or ghost. The ghost as haunting makes the subject relive what has been silenced, allowing this to be intrinsically related with trauma, a psychical action that compulsively repeats events that have marked the subject’s unconscious. By taking fantasy as a scenario of desire, the ghost becomes the pivotal element in the film to establish a narrative form where the subject is able to define itself in a community with a shared traumatic past. The film screens this ghostly fantasy as a permanent structure that mediates the necessity for war trauma in Spain’s contemporary national identity. The ghosts in del Toro’s film do not te...

Britishness in Trafalgar Square: Urban Place and the Construction of National Identity

AbstractThis article argues for the importance of urban public place in exploring how contemporary national identity is constructed. I take Trafalgar Square as my case study, exploring how Britishness was reinvented in two events that took place there in 2005: the celebrations for London's successful Olympic host city bid and the commemorative vigil for the victims of the 7 July London bombings. I contend that during these events, Trafalgar Square contributed to the discourse of national identity in three distinct ways: firstly, as a podium for the promulgation of official messages about the two events; secondly, as a tableau that demonstrated the ‘diversity in unity’ that official messages emphasised; and finally as a physical frame that accessed a version of British history to contextualise the events. More generally, the use of the square helped illuminate some important tensions at the heart of contemporary national identity in Britain, such as the question of multiculturalism and the role of London in the national imagination.

Democracy between collectivism and individualism. De-nationalisation and individualisation in Swedish national identity

This article studies contemporary national identity formation in Sweden, aiming to shed light on the relationship between democracy, collectivism and individualism. Sweden is selected as a typical case of democratic states which, reflecting processes of individualisation and de-nationalisation, have endorsed individualism and rejected nationalism. Empirically, the formulation of identity is studied on an elite level. While the values of anti-nationalism and individualism have been successfully incorporated into Swedish national discourse, it does not necessarily reflect a de-nationalisation or individualisation of Swedish identity. The rejection of nationalism is a unifying national value, and individualism is in practice often subordinated to other values deemed more essential, e.g. gender equality. Finally, the democratic exclusions within the identity discourse is discussed and it is argued that cultures perceived as less individualist and more nationalist have come to function as significant others, defining Swedishness.

Not All Sorrys Are Created Equal, Some Are More Equal than ‘Others’

Not All Sorrys Are Created Equal, Some Are More Equal than ‘Others’

From Enmity to Rivalry? Notes on National Identity Politics in Competition States

This paper examines what it means to study national identity politics in an age during which state-to-state relations are being conceptualised increasingly in terms of economic rivalry and less in terms of political enmity. It is suggested that this transformation has not been sufficiently taken into account in the study of national identity politics that continues to operate on the basis of the friend-enemy distinction. It is also suggested that the ‘old school of national identity politics’ with its emphasis on territorial exclusion and geopolitical images of threat and enmity has done highly important work in deconstructing security discourses and it is noted how they are linked to a specific, realist understanding of the world. That is, they have disclosed how what Alexander Wendt calls the ‘Hobbesian culture of anarchy’ has motivated national identity politics. Further using Wendt's characterisation of the three cultures of anarchy, the paper suggests that in the practices of contemporary national identity politics the logic of economic competitiveness and the logic of political enmity continue to co-exist but that ‘state survival’ is being increasingly understood as a matter of economic competitiveness and decreasingly as that of military power. On this basis it is argued that the era of competition states begs an analysis of the conflictual and often contradictory articulations of the Self's relation with the Other. It is proposed that a fruitful road of enquiry would open up if national identity politics was examined within the framework of political struggles whereby the national survival and Self/Other relations are played out against the background of the global marketplace paradigm which resonates more with the Lockean than the Hobbesian culture of anarchy.

Images and Identity in Fifteenth-Century Florence by Patricia Lee Rubin (review)

REVIEWS 318 tions on symbolic language and political structures. The title article of the book, which was Reuter’s inaugural lecture as chair of Medieval History at the University of Southampton, begins by discussing the perception of medieval historians as benign, often uninteresting members of the academy and British society . Reuter argues that the medieval period was when many European nations first came to be, thus the period is critical to understanding contemporary national identity. Yet for Reuter this approach has a serious pitfall: the nationcentric approach to history, which deters historians from comparative studies and led to “European models” that are often representative of one region. For example, the “feudal revolution” was composed by French historians writing about France supplemented with a couple of studies by French medievalists on the Mediterranean. Thus highly localized terminology and models inhibited the assessment of the relevance of these models outside of France. In this address, Reuter presents two means of overcoming this problem arguing for serious reflection on our working assumptions and enhancing our accounts with a greater awareness of Europe not just France. In his essay on the symbolic meaning of Canossa, where in January 1077 King Henry IV performed public penance in the snow for three days, Reuter rejects the common perception of the event as deeply humiliating for the German king overturning long standing notions held by Germans about their nation ’s relationship between church and country. By tracing the history of public penance from late antiquity into the Salian period, Reuter determines that this symbolic performance at Canossa was an ambiguous ritual, which presented a way out of a difficult situation on both sides. This collection of essays harmonizes well because many of the methodological goals advocated in the first section of the book are applied in the remainder of the book, and it brings together a series of papers which have very different topics and audiences. Reuter wrote an article on the place of Carolingian tradition in Ottonian royal legitimization for a major international exhibition in Magdeburg on the Ottonian kings. Although targeted for a lay audience, Reuter draws his ideas from the latest scholarship and discusses complex ideas on an accessible level. Ottonian interest in the Carolingian kings was minimal before 987 and their rule was structured as consciously un-Carolingian. Yet it is not Reuter’s conclusions about the Ottonians which make this essay sing, instead it is how he connects the trends in Ottonian East Francia to larger historical debates about dynastic self-project in early modern Europe, the process of remembering, and how the creation of continuity by kings was a joint project between the king and their experts in symbols. This collection of essays is aptly described by Janet Nelson as a labor of love, and I would add that it is a fitting tribute to a much-missed member of the early medieval historical community. SARAH WHITTEN, History, UCLA Patricia Lee Rubin, Images and Identity in Fifteenth-Century Florence (New Haven and London: Yale University Press 2007) xxiii + 418 pp., ill. In Patricia Lee Rubin’s new, handsomely-illustrated book, Florence is the center of attention. While Florence has occupied a prominent place in Italian Renaissance studies, few scholars have addressed in a single work the vast amounts of sources available. Rubin, on the other hand, makes it her goal “to take ad- REVIEWS 319 vantage of the rich findings of recent historical scholarship in order to enrich the art-historical understanding of the period” (xi). She weaves a dense tapestry of information together, yet the text is not a seamless package. Rather, it is a complicated one that occasionally offers conflicting notions of social life in Florence. This complex nature only further underscores the rich contents of this book. Despite its focus on Florence, the book is essentially about vision and visuality, or as Rubin states, the “social dynamics of the visual” (xii). Some of the many topics that she discusses include visual culture and the “conventual constructions of reality” (2); artistic skill as currency; technologies of vision in Florence; gendered viewing; Dante and vision; and the visuality of devotion. Unfortunately, this review will not allow me to discuss everything...