Issues Of National Identity Research Articles

Forms of Protest: Political Art in the Digital and Urban Realm

IJIA’s Dialogues series brings together scholars and practitioners from across varied disciplines for a discussion of critical contemporary issues that interrogate the boundaries between architecture, art, anthropology, archaeology, and history. This session, the third instalment, was held as a webinar in February 2023 and hosted by IJIA Assistant Editor Eliana Abu-Hamdi, featuring Middle East scholars Jillian Schwedler, Deen Sharp, and Kyle Craig. Their conversation addressed the intersection of art, urban politics, and protest in the Middle East, broadly defined, in the form of public displays of sculpture and visual art (graffiti), especially as they are related to issues of displacement, dispossession, diaspora, and national identity. The conversation also extended to digital media and hashtag culture/activism, and to virtual identities. This is an edited excerpt from the original discussion.

Nacionalni identitet i političke stranke Bošnjaka u Bosni i Hercegovini

This paper examines the issue of the modern political tradition and national identity of Bosniaks in Bosnia and Herzegovina, the beginnings of which are linked to the period of the Austro-Hungarian occupation in 1878-1918. Starting from that time until modern political conditions, in one long period, periods of their political divisions (the Austro-Hungarian period) and exclusive attachment to certain political movements (the period of the first Yugoslavia) alternated. The decades-long dominance of the communist party (in the second Yugoslavia), This paper examines the issue of national identity and the modern political tradition of Bosniaks in Bosnia and Herzegovina, the beginnings of which are linked to the period of the Austro-Hungarian occupation in 1878-1918. Starting from that time until modern political conditions, in one long period, periods of their political divisions (the Austro-Hungarian period) and exclusive attachment to certain political movements (the period of the first Yugoslavia) alternated. The decadeslong dominance of the communist party (in the second Yugoslavia), followed by the re-establishment of a pluralistic political life, is also characteristic and followed with the re-establishment of a pluralistic political life. In this paper, we want to make a synthesis of the development of the Bosniak national idea and its formation and rounding that took place in socialist Yugoslavia, especially during the civil war in Bosnia and Herzegovina from 1992 to 1995, which was closely related to their predominant political parties.

National identity colors of the historical city blocks of Kazan

The research is devoted to the architectural identity of historical blocks in Kazan, the capital city of the Republic of Tatarstan. The paper raises the issue of national identity regarding the city blocks in the Old Tatar settlement and explores the history of the architectural environment and gradual decay of its identity, including the national one, by the end of the 20th century. The system of national color identifiers of Tatar architecture is described. The possibilities of their use on different types of buildings and structures are discussed. The experiences in developing and implementing various color solutions in the reconstruction of buildings in the Old Tatar settlement are reviewed. The color environment of the area during reconstruction is analyzed. Productive methods for professional interpretation of national color traditions in the urban environment are revealed. The study has enabled recommendations to be formulated for the development of color solutions for the historical part of the Old Tatar settlement in Kazan with the aim of recreating the national identity of the architectural environment.

The impact of linguistic and cultural identity development on the growth of the economy of the Republic of Kazakhstan

Relevance. In view of globalisation and the territorial disputes in the Eurasian region, which have escalated to warfare, the issue of national identity has become particularly relevant.Purpose. The research aims to determine the dynamics of the cultural identity of the citizens of the Republic of Kazakhstan (RK), identify the key directions in the further development of the traditions of the Kazakh people and describe the impact of these processes on the growth of the country�s economy.Methodology. Methods of statistical analysis and forecasting were applied, a list of key indicators was compiled and a trend line was formed. Regression analysis was also performed to better understand the relationship between the indicators, and an internet questionnaire survey of the citizens of the Republic of Kazakhstan was compiled to determine the subjective perception of the nation�s iconic symbols and to find out the dynamics of actual household incomes.Results. As a result, data were obtained on the total number of RK residents, those who identify themselves as Kazakhs, and those who consider Kazakh as their native language. These data in dynamics were compared with the indicators of gross domestic product, which demonstrated a clear direct correlation between these phenomena, additionally confirmed by regression statistics. In addition, the relationship between the growth of cultural identity and the increase in television content in the Kazakh language was analysed.Conclusions. The practical significance of the work lies in obtaining a confirmed way of achieving economic growth through the influence of national television, as well as the presence of representative feedback from society on such key programmes as the development of national identity, the creation of iconic landmarks and national parks, and support for Qazaq repatriates to their historical homeland.

Foreign Languages and National Identity Issues

Foreign languages have always occupied a prominent place in Russia and Russian culture. Despite the apparent isolation from the outside world, Russia has always been closely connected with this world. And not only through obvious trade and political relations, but also by spiritual and cultural ties. The first significant reason for the spread of foreign languages in society was the adoption of Christianity, which brought not only a new faith, but the Greek language along with theological books. The entire subsequent history of the formation and development of the country, all the key historical epochs and events in Russia are in one way or another connected with the problem of the outside world, primarily with the European one — even in those cases, quite frequent in Russian history, when this world was rejected, criticized and was considered a necessary evil, from which it was preferable to fence off with some kind of curtain. Over time, all new foreign languages spread in society, sometimes even entering into conflict: Latin with Greek in the theological field, German with French in the political field, French with English in the literary field. In certain historical periods, for example, in the first half of the 19th century, foreign languages even supplanted the native in a certain social environment and became a reason for unrest regarding the loss of national identity. And sometimes, such as during the Soviet era, these languages were deemed “dead languages”, serving solely as a tribute to tradition and a tool for reading. However, they always retained their important role, opening up new horizons for the Russian people and connecting them with the outside world.

Karš Ukrainā: migrācijas ietekme uz Latvijas valodas politiku

Until March 2022, the Republic of Latvia belonged to the countries with rather low migration. Because of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the situation changed unexpectedly. There was a Ukrainian minority in Latvia (42,300 people or 3.5% of the total population). During the first months of the war, appr. 10,000 refugees, mostly women and children, arrived in Latvia, and numbers may exceed 30,000 at present. A special law has already been adopted, including language and education rights articles. The Ukrainian language has become a more visible participant in the Latvian language market and will probably keep these positions after the Ukrainian victory. At the same time, the Latvian state has to ensure the successful integration of newcomers into Latvian society against the background of Latvian language skills. This aspect may be challenging because a part of Ukrainian refugees use Russian as their family language or have Russian language skills. Ukrainian nationals whose family language is Russian belong to the same linguistic community as members of the Russian minority in Latvia, but their political and ideological views can be completely different, raising the issue of linguistic and national identity. Latvia still has not overcome the consequences of Russification during the Soviet period, and the increase of Russian language use in public space is not in line with the goals of the Latvian language policy.

Urban phenomena as "sites of memory" in "Open City" by Teju Cole

The purpose of the work is to analyze the autofictional novel by the modern American writer Teju Cole "Open City" using memory studies' optics. Relevance is ensured by an appeal to one of the most important genres of modern literature, autofiction, which combines and fundamentally non-distinguishes documentary and fictional discourses, and the use of the methodological apparatus of the cross-disciplinary sphere of memory studies. The subject of the study is the urban chronotope of New York after the 9/11 terrorist attack and its specific memorial loci. The artistic text in this case acts as a medial representation of reality, and the urban space in it is perceived and can be analyzed as a text. One of the founders of memory studies is French scientist Pierre Nora, whose term "sites of memory" becomes the basis in this work. The narrator of the novel "Open City," Julius, in the process of flaring through New York, perceives the city as a semiotic space, reading the markers of the urban chronotope as memorable and/or historical signs. "Sites of memory," located at the junction of living memory and frozen history, become the most important loci that fix the individual and collective commentary of social history, while being pushed out of the sphere of relevance into the sphere of the forgotten, whilst the narrator of the novel occupies an intermediate position due to the ability to reactualize historical events and memorial narratives, albeit only at the personal level. Such a comparison of "I" and "others" allows to address the issue of national identity and reveal the specifics of the American nation as focused on the future, and not on the past, and erasing the "Sites of memory" from contemporaneity.

Issues of interethnic tolerance and national identity in the processes of the information space globalization

The authors analyze the content and functional specificity of the phenomenon of tolerance and explore the possibilities of media in the formation of interethnic media culture of participants in the communication space. It is shown that journalism and the media form the interethnic media culture of participants in the communication space and demonstrate models of political and social behavior to the audience, including certain stereotypes of citizens’ interethnic and intercultural tolerance. The article examines tolerance as the perception and understanding of other cultures, ways of self-expression, and manifestation of human individuality.

Footballing journeys: migration, citizenship and national identity

ABSTRACT Sport, in particular football, can provide a useful means through which to explore the related issues of migration and national identity. Sports stars migrate from one country to another often mirroring patterns of more widespread migration from periphery to core. Such movements are influenced by a range of factors. In an increasingly commercialised and globalised sport, the exploration of footballers’ roots and the routes they take feeds into a consideration of issues of place identity and belonging. In international sporting competition, competitors don the national colours, sing the anthem and “fly the flag”, and in doing so become the embodiment of the wider imagined community. Traditionally those who compete for countries have usually been born and raised there or have lived there for sizeable periods of their lives. In recent years, however, the selection by international sports teams of competitors born in other countries has become increasingly common. The use of these footballing examples provides insights into migration, diaspora, citizenship, globalisation, and the multi-layered and contingent nature of national identity. Sport can offer a useful means of illuminating these various geographic themes and socio-spatial processes, thereby rendering them more accessible and interesting to students.

TO THE ISSUE OF NATIONAL IDENTITY IN THE SELF-PUBLISHED TEXTS BY VASYL STUS

The paper examines four texts by V. Stus, published in the uncensored periodical “Ukrainskyi Visnyk” from January 1970 to January 1971 (“A Place in a Battle or in a Massacre?”, “Nowadays it is clear to everyone...”, “Every normally organized society...”, and the poem in memory of Alla Horska “Burn Bright, My Soul, Burn Bright, and Do Not Weep!”) taking into account the investigative files of the poet, who was convicted of self-publishing. Within the analyzed prose texts, Stus defends well-known representatives of the resistance movement (Ivan Dziuba, Valentyn Moroz, Vasyl Zakharchenko, Ivan Suk), emphasizes every person’s need for freedom, and draws attention to the necessity of dialogue between the state leadership and society as the latter also bears responsibility for the authorities’ criminal actions. The poet underlines the important role of the creative youth, in which he sees the ‘self-recovery’ of the Ukrainian nation.
 In the poem “Burn Bright, My Soul, Burn Bright, and Do Not Weep!”, Stus relates his personal profound tragedy, caused by the murder of A. Hors’ka, to the tragedy experienced by the entire generation of the sixtiers and the nation as a whole. There is a variety of colors in the poem (an allusion to painting, to which A. Horska devoted her life) with the dominance of red, embodied in the image of viburnum, the national symbol of Ukraine. The revised versions of the poem, published in the collections “The Merry Cemetery” and “Palimpsests”, were also considered. The issue of national identity in Stus’s texts is presented implicitly: he primarily defends a man and the values of freedom, which is associated with creative opportunities for the development of native culture. It is noteworthy that the national issue constitutes a significant point in the investigative files, forming the basis for accusations of 'anti-Soviet activities' against the poet.

National identity and the problem of multilingualism in Algeria

The question of "multilingualism" has occupied the interest of researchers in various fields, because it represents a double-edged sword. It can be a way for less developed societies to catch up with developed societies which impose their dominant languages in the field of science, but in return it can have negative short term effects and long term affects the foundations of science. nation, especially the issue of national identity, which can threaten the security and stability of societies. This is what we will focus on in this tagged article: Linguistic plurality and its implications on the question of identity in Algeria through an exposure to the concept of identity, the concept of multilingualism, and finally the problems posed by multilingualism in the question of identity.

The Need for Demonstrable Knowledge of the Origins of National Culture on the Example of Vasyl Krychevsky's Design Projects

The aim of the study. In the terrible times of the Russian invasion, which aims to erase the existence of the Ukrainian state even in a theoretical aspect, the issue of national Ukrainian identity comes to the fore with ultimate certainty. The enemy with inhuman cruelty not only kills peaceful Ukrainians, bombs cities and villages, but also tries to destroy cultural assets by destroying museums, schools, and cultural institutions. Only a deep knowledge of the origins of one’s national culture, their research, rethinking and transformation into the latest ideas in art, design and architecture can bring a modern Ukrainian artist to the heights of patriotic consciousness and a worthy level of artistic contribution. A look at the creative and life path of V. Krychevsky becomes evidence of the need to study the roots of national culture in the field of architecture, design of spaces and objects of graphic design of ornament, form-making on the example of his research in these areas. Research methods. Art history analysis of existing materials related to V. Krychevskyi and the application of research results for the understanding of modernity. Scientific novelty. This edition is a synthesis of biographical information about the artist with the personal impressions of the authors of the article from communication with people who were in direct contact with V. Krychevsky at work and in everyday life. The article also gives a holistic view of the combination of three directions of intellectual work in the personality of V. Krychevsky: research, artistic design, and scientific. It is such a synthesis of knowledge, skills and worldview stability that withstands the test of socio-political cataclysms, which gives an opportunity to show talent and create significant projects for the development of Ukrainian identity. Conclusions. As a result of the full-scale invasion of Russia, the idea of the need to create cultural products on a national basis, including design sphere, became more relevant than ever during the independence of Ukraine. This issue has been constantly raised in scientific and popular publications, as well as in individual projects, but not so massively and not so consciously aware of the depth of the need for knowledge about national heritage and such an approach in one’s creativity. The life story of V. Krychevsky is proof of the spiral development of history and the need to know the roots of the national code for a reasoned position about one’s own culture, statehood and will for the whole world. The artist’s creative and life path, the core of which was confidence in the necessity of knowledge of one’s cultural and historical origins and the implementation of these principles, is an extremely relevant example for artists and ordinary citizens in our difficult time, when imperial Russia is trying to destroy Ukrainian identity.

Musicology Dissertations by Stefaniia Turkevych and Zynovii Lysko as a Factor in National and Cultural Identity Establishment

The purpose of the research is to comprehend the work of the first Ukrainian scholars in the field of musicology in the context of international musical relations of Ukrainian musical culture. The article examines the musicology dissertations of Stefaniia Turkevych and Zynovii Lysko as a factor in the affirmation of national and cultural identity. The main emphasis is made on the musicological and cultural analysis of these dissertations. Research methodology. The article uses historical, axiological, and cultural approaches and their corresponding methods. In particular, the historical and chronological method was used to consider the issues of dissertations covering a significant period (nineteenth – early twentieth centuries) and spatial dimension (Ukraine, Russia, Galicia, Czechoslovakia), the axiological method – to determine the value of the achievements of Ukrainian musicologists, the comparative method – to compare the issues of dissertations, and the cultural method – to present the contribution of musical culture figures to the world and Ukrainian treasury. The scientific novelty of the research is the introduction of systematized information and archival materials about the first musicological studies of Ukrainians abroad. Conclusions. Both dissertations by S. Turkevych and Z. Lysko were not only innovative at the time, but have not lost their relevance today when the issues of national and cultural identities are again becoming acute at the beginning of the twenty-first century when Ukraine is defending its freedom and independence in the fight against the Russian enemy.

Food, national identity and tourism in Greenland

ABSTRACT This article explores the dynamic relationship between food, national identity and tourism in the context of Greenland, showing how food contributes to identity development and how in turn identity communication fuels tourism attraction and gastrodiplomacy. In the following, we first offer a review of current literature on national food identity and introduce Greenland, an Arctic nation moving toward independence from the kingdom of Denmark, as an interesting and understudied field of study. Drawing on four case narratives, we describe different food tourism situations which illustrate four examples of Greenlandic food practices. In our analysis of Greenlandic food experiences, we show the coexistence of different Greenlandic food practices in the tourism offer: food as traditional, as natural, as hybrid and as innovative. In our conclusion, we come back to the issue of national identity, discussing the role of tourism in maintaining and constructing food identities in Greenland.

Gift to One Another: Interpreting Songlines Through the Relational Dynamics of Kuruwarri

ABSTRACT This dialogue between Warlpiri ceremonial leader and educator Wanta Jampijinpa Pawu and academic Samuel Curkpatrick explores important Warlpiri concepts related to social interconnectedness and responsibility. With characteristic narrative dexterity, Pawu develops concepts that originate within traditional Warlpiri thought and performance in provocative ways, interpreting ngurra-kurlu (home within), kuruwarri (system) and wantarri-tarri (travelling route) to generate insight within contemporary issues of cultural and national identity. Extending from Pawu’s appraisal of songlines as a form of hermeneutic activity, we consider how intersecting narratives of people and place allow meaningful relationships to be sustained and communities to be nourished by one another, in their mutual differences. The material presented in this discussion arose through a series of conversations between the authors, and through keynote presentations delivered by Pawu at the University of Divinity and Indigenous Knowledge Institute, University of Melbourne, in December 2021. The themes and narratives of this dialogue reflect Pawu’s teaching ethos, artistic direction, and approach to language and interpretation.

The Catholic Church’s Campaign against the “Ethnic, Cultural and Religious Extinction of the Identity of the People” of East Timor: 1981–89

The Catholic Church hierarchy in occupied East Timor launched a major campaign in the early 1980s which bore directly on issues of East Timorese nationalism and national identity, arguing that Indonesian human rights abuses in the territory were leading to the extinction’ of the identity of the East Timorese people. From 1981 onward, the Timorese Church expressed concerns over the “ethnic, cultural and religious extinction of the identity of the people” of East Timor. This campaign and the international networks it mobilized stung the Indonesian administration and forced it to respond. Examining the history of the Church’s role in the constitution of politlical community in East Timor through the Portuguese and Indonesian eras, this paper details the evolution of this campaign from 1981 onward, and the way Church campaigns over Timorese cultural and religious identity contributed to the development of a national identity and reinforced claims of national self-determination.

Naturalized Athletes and Racialized National Identity in China

ABSTRACT This paper focuses on how the phenomenon of naturalized athletes has caused unprecedented domestic discussions on issues of national identity in China. Using online data collected from Sina Weibo, it discusses how the Chinese public reacted to prominent cases of naturalization of athletes in such different sports fields as men’s football and a variety of winter sports. It interrogates how Chinese citizens view the possibilities and realities of this particular category of immigrants, and how the appropriate boundaries of ‘Chineseness’ have been debated and contested. The paper found that Chinese public reaction to naturalization of foreign athletes is overall mixed, which is conditioned on an ethno-racial view of Chinese descent, cultural heritage and linguistic affinity. The paper concludes with reflections on the ethno-racial foundation of the Chinese national identity and the challenges the country will face in a future of accelerated international migration.

Kazakistan’daki Bölgesel Cedidcilik Hareketi Kapsamında Milli Kimlik İnşası Meselesi Üzerine Bir İnceleme

In this article, the impact of the Jadid movement on the formation of Kazakh national identity is discussed in the context of the regional characteristics of Kazakhstan. The issue of the Jadid movement in Russian historiography was written within the framework of Islamic integration, pan-Turkism, and ethnic nationalism. The Jadid movement, which is the essence of the national identity construction, has left its traces in Kazakhstan
 thanks to the Tatar scientists who naturally affect the Turkish unity process. National identity and Turkish unity issues developed in parallel in Kazakhstan. Evaluating the religious views of Kazakh nomads in rural areas, and the tribalism and ethnic relations, the Tsarist administration exerted strong pressure on the policy of Russification. Therefore, Russian-Kazakh schools increased in number and developed rivalry to the Jadid schools. The founders of the Alaş movement, who were educated in the Jadid schools in the northern and western regions of Kazakhstan, later studied at the higher education institutions of the Russian Empire. The rest of the Jadids received their education in the madrasahs of today’s Uzbekistan, Kazan, Cairo and Istanbul. In
 this context, two aspects of the Jadid movement have become stereotyped in Kazakhstan, the first is the establishment of the Kazakh state Alaş Orda, the second is the struggle for the unity of the Central Asian Turkic people and the establishment of the Turkestan state.

The Dynamics of Identity of Russian-Speaking Citizens of Ukraine Before and After the Revolution of Dignity

The study analyzes the level of national identity of Russian-speaking citizens of Ukraine within certain time frames, namely before and after the events of the Revolution of Dignity 2013-2014. The issue of national identity in Ukraine has been studied since independence, and the events of 2014 related to Euromaidan, the occupation of Crimea and the war in Donbas have become an additional catalyst for studying the creation and change of national identity in Ukrainian society. One of the most important aspects of studying the identity of Ukrainians is the analysis of the identity of Russian-speaking citizens of Ukraine, who are an integral part of Ukrainian society and on which Russian propaganda, pro-Russian politicians and organizations in Ukraine worked purposefully. But the events that began in 2014 in Ukraine could have an even more significant impact on Russian-speaking citizens and therefore it is important to analyze this impact on the identity of Russian-speaking citizens, because certain changes in national identity in this group affect the political and social life of Ukraine. Sociological monitoring data from the Kyiv International Institute of Sociology (KIIS) were used for the analysis. Sociological results published by the institute in free access were analyzed through the method of descriptive statistics. For the analysis, three indicators were selected that are relevant for determining the national identity of Russian-speaking citizens in Ukraine. Among them: “attitude to the independence of Ukraine”, “interpretation of one's own national identity”, “assessment of the status of the Russian language in the state”. As for the attitude to independence, in 2007 in the South and East, Russian-speaking citizens treated independence quite differently. In the south of Ukraine there was a slight advantage in support of independence, and in the east on the contrary in anti-support. In 2017, the vast majority of citizens in both the East and the South supported independence. At the point of self-identification, Russian-speaking respondents began to identify more as Ukrainians and less as Russians, but in 2014 there was uncertainty about the self-identification of Russian-speaking citizens. In relation to the status of Russian language in Ukraine until 2014, there was greater support for the status of the second state language, but after 2014, Russian-speaking citizens did not consider the status of Russian as a second state language.

Fop, bounder and post-feminist father: Hugh Grant and the changing face of modern masculinity

ABSTRACT Extant research on Hugh Grant’s star image routinely combines issues of masculinity, sexuality and national identity. Such work concludes that the stumbling, stammering English gent that he mastered for the character of Charles Thacker in Four Weddings and a Funeral or the dishonourable bounder and morally reprehensible cad that he played so brilliantly in Bridget Jones’s Diary is a perfect fit with the man himself. Either way, this article will consider the ways in which film critics and commentators have read and responded to Grant’s on-screen performances and off-screen persona in order to open up a dialogue about shifting iterations of masculinity. Grant is routinely at the forefront of changing definitions of modern manhood, morphing from New Man to New Lad before being constructed and circulated as a figurehead of post-feminist fatherhood. In short, Grant stands as a testament to the very fluid, flexible and shifting nature of the hegemonic hierarchy.