"In the past, my family became a nationally acting family, when we were forced to react because we were threatened because of our ethnicity, because our physical life was at stake. We could either forget our language and culture and merge in German or fight back and endure the devastating consequences."
("Angel of Forgetfulness", Maja Haderlap)

In which way can national identity be threatened in our globalized world?

Maria Fellner - 03.01.2020 @ 21:39

National identity
by Dorina Farkas and Zsófia Dull, DNG Budapest/Hungary

Many people talk about nationality, identity, sense of identity – nowadays when more and more people escape from their countries all over the world. But what do we mean when we talk about national identity?

National identity means belonging to a nation or a nation-state, but I think that this concept is difficult to define because this is a concept like love, hate or mourning. Each person has their own and national identity.

It is an important task to examine the circumstances of those people who, for different reasons, do not live in their homeland. What does national identity mean for them?

In the past, my family became a nationally acting family, when we were forced to react because we were threatened because of our ethnicity, because our physical life was at stake. We could either forget our language and culture and merge in German or fight back and endure the devastating consequences."
("Angel of Forgetfulness", Maja Haderlap)

It is difficult to answer the question to which nation those people who emigrated or have been evacuated really belong? They need to decide whether they preserve their identity in a foreign country, or they assimilate into the new country. I mean, which language, culture and traditions should they use? In my opinion, a possible answer to this is that they should use both. If they do so, they will not feel themselves as outsiders in a foreign country and they will not forget their home. Here I would like to mention the poem “Branauer Schwäbin” by the Hungarian-German author, Josef Michaelis. This poem is about an older woman whose family has been living in Hungary for generations. This woman tries to speak in her mother tongue – it means the German dialect – but this communication gets lost.

How does national identity relate to globalisation?

Globalisation influences not only the individual but also national identity. It has positive and negative effects. If we think about the fact that we can get to know other cultures sitting in a comfortable room with the help of the internet, these are the positive effects of globalisation. In a globalised world, we can travel to other countries easily and we do not really understand why it should be a problem for a family to go abroad to have a holiday.

In which way can national identity be threatened in our globalised world?

Nobody thinks about the consequences of globalisation affecting non-globalised nations. Because of tourism national identity might get lost (e.g. with nations in Africa) since before tourists could have travelled to their region, African nations had been living cut off from the rest of the world. However, civilization affects them, as in the past they used to live a happy life without smartphones or computers. Because of tourism, their tradition and habits and their national identity will probably be destroyed.

Zsófia Dull - 09.03.2020 @ 21:24

Hi Zsófia,

thanks for the interesting article, it really was worth reading!

I totally agree with you by saying that national identity and globalisation can be difficult to connect in a positive way and concerning the question, whether to accept the new countries as home I, too, think that this can be quite difficult. I really like you calling it a difficult-to-define-concept because that's the point of nationality, isn't it? You can't change your roots, so probably sticking to them and accepting something new in your life is the best solution, although I know this can be difficult. Talking about globalization I also agree that some people are better left alone and no smartphone or internet should interrupt their daily and happy life. Nevertheless, getting to know other people, countries and cultures can be amazing.

Valentin Innerbichler - 28.04.2020 @ 16:52

Hi Dorina, hi Zsófia,

I enjoyed reading your article. I agree with you that everyone has their own national identity. But to be honest, I have a little bit different point of view than presented in your article. 

National identity has a strong connection with emotional, cultural or genealogical feelings towards a specific nationality. So it depends on with whom a person identifies himself. It is a person’s private choice what nationality that person is. I agree that it is mainly defined by language or the place of living. But nowadays, there are still many examples of groups of people considering themselves different than the rest living around. For instance, in Israel there is a war because of it. Some people identify themselves with Palestinian nationality although they live in Israel, speak the Hebrew language and after all they have quite a similar culture. Another example is Polish people living in the United States. There are huge communities of immigrants in Chicago, NY, LA or Denver. Those people often preserve Polish traditions, teach their children Polish; they even publish newspapers with Polish news. But we can't say that they identify themselves with American or Polish nationality. Some of them consider themselves Polish, even though they do things typical of American nationality. This is something like a choice of a given person.

I’d like to add something to what you have written about the book you referred to in your article. I think those people, if they really were patriots, could change the language, they might try to change the culture, but in their hearts they might never become Germans. I know a book which supports my opinion. It is a drama by a Polish poet and playwright Adam Mickiewicz and it is called “Dziady” (‘Forefathers' Eve’).  Poland is under Russian, German and Austrian occupation. And despite the same experience as the characters in your book had – being forced  to forget about their national identity by the occupants, the characters in the play don’t  give up fighting for their right to speak their own language, a  right to create Polish culture, a right to be Polish. 

So, my conclusion is that national identity is a very personal choice. And we can’t mix it up with citizenship. And I think there is nothing wrong with changing what a man identifies with, if it is done in a peaceful way.  

Alicja Danielak - 02.06.2020 @ 11:01