What does it mean to be Norwegian, American, or Japanese? This question goes to the heart of national identity—a powerful and complex feeling of belonging to a particular nation or
Faglig kvalitetssikret av lærere og toppstudenter · Følger læreplanen (LK20) · Sist oppdatert 2026-07-16
Introduction
What does it mean to be Norwegian, American, or Japanese? This question goes to the heart of national identity—a powerful and complex feeling of belonging to a particular nation or state. It is a form of collective identity that binds millions of strangers together, giving them a sense of shared purpose, history, and destiny. This article explores how national identity is constructed, the different forms it can take, and the challenges it faces in our increasingly interconnected world.
Learning objectives
After reading this article, you should be able to:
- Define national identity and explain its main components.
- Describe the role of symbols, stories, and traditions in creating a sense of nationhood.
- Distinguish between civic nationalism and ethnic nationalism.
- Analyse how national identity is expressed, for example through sports or national holidays.
- Discuss how globalisation and migration are changing our understanding of national identity.
What is National Identity?
National identity is the sense of a nation as a cohesive whole, represented by distinctive traditions, culture, and language. It is the feeling of being part of a larger group of people with whom you share a common bond, even though you will never meet most of them. The political scientist Benedict Anderson famously called nations "imagined communities." They are "imagined" not because they are fake, but because the members of even the smallest nation will never know most of their fellow-members, yet in their minds lives the image of their communion. …