Issues Of National Identity Research Articles

Českost a světovost moderního umění v Čechách (1848–1948)

The texts contained in this special issue of Acta Universitatis Carolinae: Philosophica et Historica / Studia Historiae Artium were presented as papers at a conference entitled Czechness and Internationalism of Modern Art in Bohemia (1848–1948), held on 24 May 2022 at the Institute of Art History, Faculty of Arts, Charles University in Prague. The theme of the conference was chosen in respect of the research interests of Professor Petr Wittlich, a long-time pedagogue and researcher at the Institute, who celebrated a significant jubilee on 23 May 2022. Colleagues, pupils and friends of the professor, who during their professional careers have also dealt with the issue of national, transnational and international identity of modern art in the Czech lands, were invited to participate in the conference. They focused both on local disciplinary practice and retrospective assessment of the phenomenon of nationality within modernity, modernism and the avant-garde, and also explored historical debates on this topic, projected into specific works, art projects and institutional programmes.

Backroads into buried pasts: Irish border mobilities and narrative film

ABSTRACT Because of the Irish border’s troubled history and heightened symbolism, filmmakers have since long relied on the border as a setting to thematise issues of national identity, belonging, and trauma. Departing from the concept of border poetics this article takes films featuring the border between the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland as its topic of inquiry. Beyond compiling a border film archive in which all cinematic representation of the Irish border is collected, a close reading is conducted of border mobilities in a sample of 43 narrative fiction films (1937–2021). The article’s textual analysis makes the distinction between three border mobilities (1) border crossing, (2) border inhabiting, and (3) border (re)visiting, to investigate how filmmakers utilise the Irish border for various narrative, formal, and ideological ends. As such, the border’s cinematic legacy can be better understood.

А. БАЙТҰРСЫНҰЛЫ ЖӘНЕ «ҚАЗАҚ» ГАЗЕТІНІҢ МАЗМҰНЫ ЖАЙЛЫ

This article examines the contribution of Akhmet Baitursynuly to the development of Kazakh journalism and the role of the «Қазақ» newspaper in the social and political life of Kazakhstan at the beginning of the 20th century. A. Baitursynuly actively used journalism to awaken the national self-awareness of the Kazakh people, modernize their culture and carry out social reforms. He intended to achieve these goals by creating and managing the Kazakh newspaper. The article analyzes the main topics raised in the «Қазақ» newspaper, in particular, issues of national identity, cultural revival, political awakening of the Kazakh people, social reforms. The newspaper's articles widely discuss current problems of Kazakh society, the social status and culture of the people. The editorial policy of A. Baitursynuly and his approach to journalism as a means of education and social mobilization are analyzed. The role of the «Қазақ» newspaper as a platform for expressing and strengthening Kazakh national identity, as well as its importance in educating and informing Kazakh society, is emphasized. The study shows the influence of the editorial activities of Akhmet Baitursynuly on the development of public opinion and political activity in Kazakhstan. The article examines in detail how Baitursynuly supervised the content of the newspaper and his contribution to the spiritual and cultural development of Kazakh society.

PLATFORMS OF EXPANSIONISM: A COMPARISON OF RUSSIA'S NARRATIVES FOR UKRAINE AND SERBIA'S NARRATIVES FOR KOSOVO

Following the invasion of Crimea by Russia, there has been a significant shift in academic focus towards the study of Ukraine. Russia's efforts to establish a new warfront in the Western Balkans have drawn attention to the developments in the region. This paper offers a comparative analysis of the narratives put forth by Russia concerning Ukraine and Serbia's perspectives on Kosovo. Both Russia and Serbia have constructed fake narratives that present their geopolitical disputes as issues of historical and national identity and territorial integrity. In the case of Russia, the narratives regarding Ukraine underscore a shared history, the protection of ethnic Russians, while contesting Ukrainian sovereignty. Similarly, Serbia's narratives about Kosovo emphasize the cultural and historical significance of Kosovo, drawing its fake narrative for Kosovo as integral to Serbian identity and rejecting its independence as illegitimate and imposed by foreign powers. By delving into official discourse and media representations, this study aims to explore three core narratives used as expansionist platforms: historical and national identity narratives, the narrative of victimization and the narratives on the legitimacy of statehood and sovereignty and how these narratives are utilized within domestic and international spheres to gain internal and international support, legitimize policies, and perpetuate a sense of victimhood. The paper contends that although the contexts differ, the strategic deployment of historical grievances, ethnic unity, and anti-Western sentiment forms a common platform in the expansionist approaches of Russia and Serbia.

Digitalisation of the Preliminary Investigation Phase, Fundamental and Human Rights and the Principle of Openness - Balancing Conflicting Interests in the Review of Large Data Sets

The EU courts have divided an investigation into two distinct stages with different aims: the preliminary investigation phase and the contradictory phase. This paper examines issues related to the digitalisation of the preliminary investigation phase, from screening and open source intelligence to data processing during unannounced inspections or dawn raids. The question is how rights of defence are secured without jeopardising an investigation where data sets have grown beyond anything previously known. Within the context of the principle of openness of government activities in Finland and Sweden, the author sets out to find how the main rule of openness is balanced with the objectives of the preliminary investigation phase. The article examines case-law and literature, complemented with public statements from competition authorities, to find that a fair balance between conflicting interests has been achieved thus far. Examples of open questions currently subject to debate do, nonetheless, range from using personal apps for detection to whether national identity as per Article 4(2) of the Treaty on European Union can tip the balance between confidentiality of correspondence and cartel enforcement categorically in favour of the former. The Court of Justice will likely have to address the issue of national identity in the ongoing Ronos case.

«Я відчуваю себе повноцінною частинкою великої Нації»: українська мова та самоідентифікація студентьської молоді.

The article, using the questionnaire method, presents and summarises theoretical issues of national identity and self-identification of student youth in the context of Russia’s war against Ukraine. The article traces the dynamic changes that have taken place in the minds of the younger generation: pride in speaking Ukrainian, a sense of being part of the Ukrainian nation, the formation of a selfsufficient political position of young people, and the positioning of themselves as part of their people in preserving the heritage of the Ukrainian nation (respectively, language, culture, history, traditions, etc.). There is a noticeable trend towards an increase in the number of young people who choose Ukrainian as their language of communication, and a greater use of Ukrainian content on social media. Young people eagerly learn other languages (in particular English, and Polish) in addition to Ukrainian in order to improve their language skills, communicate with foreigners in a wide range of ways, improve their professional skills, travel, translate books and articles, learn about the cultural values of other countries, and get information about Ukraine and events taking place in it.

Postmodern Approach to History in the Novel "Selvitë E Tivarit" by M.Kraja

This study article aims to analyze the special way through which the important events of the historical past are integrated into the fiction of the writer Mehmet Kraja with the aim of ironizing and not documenting them. Our main argument is that in the novel "Selvitë e Tivarit" the historical context of the Tivari War is effectively portrayed through postmodern narrative tools and techniques, which highlight doubt and unreliability towards references and the absolute authenticity of historical narratives. The use of techniques such as the presence of a "dubious" narrator's voice, fragmentation, time distortion, ironic representation, etc., appear as postmodern strategies that play an important role in blurring the boundaries between reality (truth) and fiction and enable the thematization of important issues of history, culture, and human and national identity. Our methodology includes the use of analysis methods, which will enable us to delve into the interior of the text, at the levels of narration and discourse, as well as the comparative method to highlight the differences and commonalities between traditional and contemporary models of historical fiction.

POLICY AND LINGUISTIC CONSIDERATIONS IN THE PROPOSED RENAMING OF WEST JAVA PROVINCE TO TATAR SUNDA

This legal study investigates the implications of the proposed renaming of West Java Province to Tatar Sunda Province, employing the approach of intuitive semantic dualism to address issues of language, territory, ethnicity, and national identity. The research draws on data from academic journals, books, media reports, and interviews, comparing secondary data with field opinions on the languages and bordering regions of the Sundanese dialect. The findings reveal that, although the Sundanese linguistic system was expected to play a crucial role in the renaming process and promote territorial unity, it falls short due to the inclusion of regions such as Banten, pre-independence Batavia, and bilingual border areas in the east and north. This geographic and linguistic complexity means that the name "Tatar Sunda" does not accurately reflect the distinct linguistic, cultural, and territorial identities of the Sundanese people as described by J. van Baal. Legally, while there are no barriers to the renaming policy, the proposed name fails to adequately represent the region's diverse identities. Consequently, the study recommends further exploration of more representative alternatives that align with the existing legal framework, ensuring that the name change is not only legally valid but also appropriately reflects the region's identity.

Social identity and narrative perspectives

Balázs Kézdi, in his work entitled Identity and Culture (2001), draws attention to the fact that the concept of identity is ambiguous and overdetermined not only in social science discourse but also in psychology because the concepts of "self" and selfdefinition are often mixed up with the concepts of self-definition. Different theories emphasise different characteristics depending on whether the self is a personal or a social self-definition and whether the process of identification is interpreted as static or situational. Over the last few decades, the psychological literature on identity has increasingly emphasised the narrative nature of identity. This means that people form their interpretations of the world through narratives (including self-narratives), and these narratives are inseparable from the concept of self-determination (László, 2005). The following paper discusses the particular case of collective identity and significant group identification, including the issue of national identity and the role of collective memories. Accordingly, it focuses first on the psychological and cultural approach to the process of peer self-determination, followed by the group history and the resulting theoretical considerations.

Dual citizenship in Ukraine and the world

This work is devoted to the topic of dual (multiple) citizenship and its features. The author examines aspects that may arise with multiple citizenship in matters of national security, taxes on legal conflicts, as well as advantages and complexities, the relationship between rights and obligations. Dual citizenship offers significant and diverse benefits, including empowerment in employment, education, business and travel. Citizens are able to enjoy the social and economic benefits of both countries, which also contributes to the strengthening of international ties through cultural exchanges and diplomatic cooperation, increasing understanding and respect between peoples. However, despite numerous advantages, there are also significant disadvantages and risks associated with dual citizenship. The main ones – are issues of national security and identity, difficulties arising in the areas of taxation, military service, as well as possible legal conflicts when the same person falls under the legislation of two different states. The article considers possible changes in the legislation of Ukraine regarding the introduction of dual (multiple) citizenship, and the prospects for its possible development. The author notes that before making a separate decision regarding dual citizenship, it is necessary to carefully investigate all its aspects. Consider both positive and negative sides, taking into account personal circumstances. In addition, the author of this article presents arguments both for and against dual citizenship, and also describes the possible risks and challenges associated with it. The conclusion states that dual citizenship is a complex legal concept that can have both positive and negative aspects for individuals who have it. The article emphasizes that the issue of dual citizenship should be carefully studied at the state level with the participation of all interested parties — politicians, experts in the field of law, economics, sociology and ordinary citizens. Only a balanced approach will allow to achieve the maximum benefit from dual citizenship, avoid potential risks and ensure the stability and security of the state.

Wojna jako katalizator niwelowania kryzysu tożsamości w Ukrainie – pozytywna dynamika i przygotowanie do wyzwań

The full-scale Russian-Ukrainian war consolidated Ukrainian society. The choice of the absolute majority in favor of the European and Euro-Atlantic future allows us to conclude that the Ukrainians have completed the formation of a political nation. At the same time, the war created grounds for the Ukrainians to overcome the existing rifts in the socio-cultural sphere, but did not remove them completely. The main task of the authorities, scientists and civil society in these conditions is to concentrate on the development and implementation of such policies that will help to avoid the deepening of existing rifts to the extent of toxic polarization and prevent Ukrainians from finally overcoming the dichotomy in the issue of national and cultural identity.

National identity establishment for secondary school students through project activities

Relevance. The issue of national identity for teenagers becomes relevant, primarily because growing up today's teenager occurs in a situation of independent search and selection of characteristics and qualities that constitute an ideal, in this case, the ideal of a patriot of their country. Purpose. The purpose of this study is to define the conceptual approach to the notion of "identity" and to reflect methodologically on how this identity is established in students through a project-based learning approach. Methodology. The leading research method was the organisational approach, which included a comparative method and a cross-sectional method. Empirically, an innovative infrastructure for teaching national identity to students was introduced during the experimental study. Results. The authors have established recommendations for developing project activities with the overall objectives of spiritual and moral development and education for secondary school students. Key methods for teaching national identity include research-based, creative, practice-oriented, and problem-based approaches. National competence in Kazakhstan involves a blend of knowledge, skills, values, norms, and rules that gauge one's cultural identity within a diverse society. Conclusions. National identity requires time to establish itself. It is inappropriate to force the concept of belonging to a nation on students before they have established a personal understanding of themselves. The process of national identity education should be unassumingly and age-appropriate, using all the crucial components of national identity: speech, traditions, national attributes. Keywords: national identity; education system; teenagers; innovation infrastructure; personal development

Italia tra storia e storiografia. In cerca dell'identità nazionale

Starting from the fundamental studies of the historian Giuseppe Galasso and in the context of a close confrontation with the most experienced European historiography on these topics, the essay reconstructs some issues of the italian national identity through the different guidelines of the historiographical debate from the nineteenth century to today in a comparative and historical setting of european modernity. The centuries-old duration of the events related to the process of formation of the Italian identity, from the tradition of the Roman Empire to the Risorgimento and national independence, passing through the long domination of foreign powers, finally ended with the unification of the peninsula and the state-building in 1861. The most significant terms of the identity discourse are thus affirmed: territory and nation, whose underlying grounds, however, still struggle to find shared reasons for a unitary understanding of the national historical framework. In this respect the category of national identity starts its construction at the time of the Romantic ferments and remains intimately linked to those anthropological traits that would have provided to found in the mid-nineteenth century the community of Italians, finally rejoined under the frame of a new State. Not a single identity, therefore, but a multiplicity of references to the rich, centuries-old Italian cultural heritage, rethought in the light of a decisive season for national destinies.

“A Nameless Sort of Person”? Mobility and the Policing of Identity in Byron’s Italian Years

ABSTRACT Romantic-period studies have been keenly sensitive to the notion of mobility across borders, both in literal and figurative terms, investigating it in relation to issues of personal and national identity. This essay discusses Byron’s various forms of border-crossing with specific reference to his Italian years, starting with the most immediate loco-geographic meaning of the term, that is, Byron’s traversing the many frontiers that marked the Italian territory, partitioned in a plurality of states. The focus is on Byron’s experience of the technologies of control which were set into place in the early nineteenth century, testified by his traveling papers and registered, often with a touch of humor, in his correspondence. Byron’s musings on the practices and implications of the documentary control of mobility and identity spilled over, in a more serious key, into the concerns of his poetic output, notably in the lines of his 1819 lyric “To the Po.” Translating the notion of borders and border-crossing onto the page, here Byron resisted the crystallizing of identity at work in the biopolitical domain by making the fluidity of the history-laden river Po the locus of his rebirth as transnational subject.

Chinghiz Aitmatov’s Mythopoetic Picture of the World through the Context of Modern Stage Interpretations (In Russian)

The theatrical process in Central Asia is characterized by a common history of formation and development, basic principles and at the same time the originality and artistic heterogeneity of national theaters. A theater festival that is currently acquiring important significance as a space for dialogue between cultures serves as an indicator of its transformation in the region. Using the example of the winning performances of the VI International Theater Festival “Aitmatov and Theater” (2023), the mythopoetic picture of the world of Chinghiz Aitmatov is studied in the context of modern stage interpretations.The festival featured productions of prose rather than drama. This determined the features of the aesthetic structure of performances created within logocentric oriental cultures. The article analyzes the performances of Ulanmyrzha Karypbayev, one of the leading young directors in Central Asia. His productions such as “Borandy becket” (Station under Storm) and “Ak keme” (White Steamship) were among the best. They reveal the most characteristic features of U. Karypbayev as a director: a rich metaphorical system, theatrical polyphony, ritualization, grotesque, complex mise-en-scène. A large-scale play “Zhan pida” (Scaffold) directed by Nurkanat Zhakypbai current open the topics of historical memory, national identity and essential issues of existence. His stage interpretation is characterized by multi-layered visuals, exquisite plastic solutions, picturesque crowd scenes, a complex musical score, and a monologue principle in the acting performance. The directors Bair Badmayev and Gafur Mardanov created the story of Mother’s life path in the context of the national picture of the world in the stage versions of Mother Earth.The festival demonstrated a modern theatrical interpretation of Aitmatov’s works in Central Asia, characterized by leaving a usual path of words on stage and turning to more deeper interpretations. It is obvious that compositionally complex stage works are created with all components existing on an equal basis: words, stage action, scenography, rich plastic score, authentic musical sequence with performers on stage. Directors raise current issues, artistically comprehend reality and embody it in ideas, images, stage solutions that reflect the richness and diversity of the theatrical art in Central Asia.

The National Identity of Ancient and Modern Greeks

The issue of national identity in ancient Greece played an important role during periods of war due to the absence of a unifying political authority. Ancient Greece was organized along the lines of independent city-states with different political systems. However, in two wars, they were able to unite to combat a common enemy of Greece. In the Greek-Trojan War, the Greeks were the aggressors, and many Greek city-states responded to the call for joint action. In the Greek-Persian War, the Greeks defended their homeland. Once again, the Greek city-states, primarily Athens and Sparta, joined forces to repel the Persian invasion of mainland Greece. Homer, in his Iliad, and Herodotus, in his Histories, provide definitions of what Greek national identity was all about. By the time of the civil war, i.e., the Peloponnesian War, there appears to be a paradigm shift in what constitutes Greek national identity. The best definition within the context of this paradigm is given by Isocrates. This paper examines the national identity of Greeks as proposed mainly in the works of Homer, Herodotus, and Isocrates. It also explores the 19th-century controversy regarding whether modern Greeks have the same national identity as their ancient counterparts. Keywords: national identity, education, Homer, Hesiod, Herodotus, Isocrates, virtue, ancient Greeks, modern Greeks.

Issues Of National Identity in The People of Central Asia

Objectives: This section outlines the primary goals and aims of the article, which revolve around exploring and understanding the complexities of national identity in the peoples of Central Asia. The objectives include a comprehensive examination of historical context, multiculturalism, language diversity, religious influences, and post-Soviet challenges to shed light on the intricate issues surrounding national identity in the region.
 
 Methods: Here, the article describes the research methods employed to achieve the stated objectives. It may include a detailed analysis of historical documents, interviews, surveys, or a review of scholarly literature. The section explains how the study was conducted to gather information on the various factors influencing national identity in Central Asia.
 
 Results: In this part, the article presents the findings derived from the research methods employed. The results encapsulate the insights gained from the examination of historical context, multiculturalism, language diversity, religious influences, and post-Soviet challenges. This section provides a detailed account of the key discoveries and observations related to national identity issues in Central Asia.
 
 Conclusion: The conclusion synthesizes the information presented in the results section and draws overarching insights. It summarizes the implications of the findings for the peoples of Central Asia and their quest for a cohesive national identity. Additionally, the conclusion may highlight the significance of understanding these issues in promoting stability, harmony, and cultural preservation in the region.

A baby to save their marriage: Little Alexander (1981) as USSR-GDR ‘family therapy’ by way of historical wish fulfilment

ABSTRACT In sustaining the myth of the GDR as a people’s democracy resulting from the anti-fascist war of liberation led by the Red Army and supported by local communists, Soviet internationalist ideology effectively appropriated the scriptural idea of mercy towards ‘the foreigner, the fatherless, and the widow’ as a shared basis for the German and Soviet nations’ cultural unconscious. Using film as a medium of historical wish fulfilment, this ideology strove to conceptualise ‘we-ness’ as a response to the external imperialist threat, and a counterpoint to the likewise archetypal attitude towards ‘women and little ones as spoils and plunder’. This article centres on the joint Soviet-GDR film Little Alexander (1981), set in 1945, but clearly intended to convince Germans in 1981 of the advantages of remaining within Soviet-style socialism. In the film, orphanhood and surrogate parenthood reinforce – via the evocation of transnational biblical and mythological storylines – the GDR’s origin myth, retroactively resolving the issue of post-war German national identity via the Soviets’ ‘adoption’ of and ‘cohabitation’ with East Germany. But this unavoidably evokes a comorbidity of issues related to the flailing 30-year USSR-GDR ‘marriage’ that no ‘family therapy’ would repair.

Станция «Дистанция». Диспозитив производства знания в ранних российских художественных исследованиях

The article examines the specifics of Russian artistic research. First, with the help of historical analysis of the phenomenon in the international context, the essential characteristics of artistic research are deduced. They consist in the intertwining of ontology, epistemology and methodology of a work or a process, which is enacted through a problem beyond the issues of art. Art in this situation acts as an “epistemic thing” (Henk Borgdorff), a “theoretical object” (Hubert Damisch), or an enactive environment. This boundary, or the interdependent intertwining of the subject, method, and purpose of the work, manifests itself in different ways in the various apparatuses of knowledge production in art, varying from context to context, despite the globalization of the art scene of the twenty-first century. The Russian art of the late noughties and early tens was just approaching the use of the research paradigm. Its application is conditioned by a range of reasons, including the need to construct a work of art as a complex reflection on a socially acute topic, such as issues of national identity and historical amnesia. The art segment under consideration tried to avoid merging with the common media imagery, moving away from both the dominant rhetoric and its ironic interpretations by artist predecessors and fellow contemporaries, while bypassing straightforward activist strategies. The kind of knowledge such art dealt with was often non-knowledge, the ungraspable, the erased, and the camouflaged. This knowledge found its elusive manifestation in traces of absence, scattered authorship, failures, and other forms of distancing, yet sometimes revealing through such embodiments its own communicative limitations.

ԵՎՐՈՊԱԿԱՆ ԳՈՐԾԻՔԱԿԱԶՄԸ ԷԹՆՈՔԱՂԱՔԱԿԱՆ ԼԱՐՎԱԾՈՒԹՅՈՒՆՆԵՐԻ ՀԱՂԹԱՀԱՐՄԱՆ ՃԱՆԱՊԱՐՀԻՆ / EUROPEAN TOOLS FOR OVERCOMING ETHNO-POLITICAL TENSIONS

The European Union, apart from being a large and influential structure, is also a single, common integration roof for different cultures and ethnic groups. And this difference is often the basis of various ethno-political conflicts within the Union. These conflicts are the result of tensions, economic inequality and political grievances carried over from the historical past to the present day and have a significant impact on political stability, social cohesion as well as economic development. The purpose of this article is to explore the European toolkit to identify how European states and international organizations use existing mechanisms to prevent or mitigate ethno-political tensions, promote peace and stability. In order to achieve the goal, the task was set to study the main factors of the emergence of ethno-political tensions in the EU, including historical, economic, political and social influences. The methodological approach of the article is based on a combination of analytical, comparative, practical case studies, historical and documentary analysis methods. It has been argued that ethno-political tensions are often caused by economic inequality, historical disputes, national identity issues and migration processes, which require a multi-faceted and comprehensive approach to manage. The conclusion is that the effective management of ethno-political tensions in the EU requires a unified policy based on ethnic diversity and cultural integration, including mechanisms for the separation of power and the protection of minority rights, as well as the strengthening of global and regional cooperation to mitigate the impact of external factors.