Nation and Identity - Chapter 1 Notes
Related Issues and Chapter Overview
This section outlines the key questions and topics that will be explored in the following chapters:
Related Issue 3: Should internationalism be pursued?
Related Issue 4: Should individuals and groups in Canada embrace a national identity?
Related Issue 2: Should nations pursue national interest?
Key Issue: To what extent should we embrace nationalism?
The central question is: Are nation and identity related?
The chapters will cover:
Shaping Nationalism: How do external and internal factors shape nationalism?
Reconciling Nationalist Loyalties: How should people reconcile their contending nationalist loyalties?
Reconciling Nationalist and Non-Nationalist Loyalties: How can nationalist and non-nationalist loyalties be reconciled?
Related Issue 1: Should nation be the foundation of identity?
The Big Picture: Nation and Identity
Nations, like personal identities, evolve and grow. A nation's identity is complex, influenced by factors like national and international events, and natural disasters, some of which are beyond control. It is important to appreciate:
Different understandings of nation, nation-state, and nationalism exist and change over time.
The relationships linking identity, nation, nation-state, and nationalism are complex and dynamic.
Nationalist and non-nationalist loyalties shape people’s choices and how they reconcile them.
Nationalism has shaped Canada and the world and will likely continue to do so.
Two-Page Spread Challenge: Nation and Identity
As a journalist for a Canadian youth magazine, you need to create a two-page spread (print) or two screens (online) for a special Canada Day edition, exploring connections between nation and identity. Each chapter includes a skill builder to help you complete the final project.
Challenge: Explore and present an informed position on whether nation should be the foundation of identity.
Checklist for Success (for magazine spread or e-zine):
Demonstrate understanding of nation, nationalism, and their relationship to identity.
State your position in the headline and paragraph.
Include valid evidence to support your position.
Use a variety of sources.
Reflect diverse viewpoints.
Show the criteria used for making judgments.
Analyze bias through selected support material.
Present a consistent message suitable for the audience.
Support with appropriate graphics and technology.
Use correct spelling, grammar, and language.
How to Complete the Challenge
Complete four skill-building activities throughout the chapters.
Seek feedback from classmates or teachers and revise your work.
Assemble your two-page spread at the end of Chapter 4.
Sketch a layout and get feedback.
Adjust the layout based on feedback.
Write the final opinion paragraph.
Complete and present the two-page spread.
Challenge Tip: Examine current magazines and e-zines for design ideas.
Skill Builders:
Chapter 1: Assessing Bias - Choose a magazine name and headline.
Chapter 2: Using Visuals and Other Resources to Support Your Opinion - Add visuals and quotations; write captions.
Chapter 3: Writing a Supported Opinion Paragraph - Draft and revise an opinion paragraph.
Chapter 4: Communicating Effectively - Edit the opinion paragraph, organize the design, and complete the final layout.
Skill Builder Example: Magazine Spread
Magazine Name: Out There
Headline: Die for My Country? Never!
Visuals: Supporting opinion
Quotations: Representing various viewpoints (e.g., Paul Watson, Danny Williams, Sheila Watt-Cloutier)
Opinion Paragraph: Clearly stating position
Expressions of National Pride
Many Canadians express their national pride openly. Others simply feel a sense of belonging.
Chapter 1: Nation and Identity
Key Issue: To what extent should we embrace nationalism?
Chapter Issue: Are nation and identity related?
Initial Thoughts on Nationalism
Record your current ideas about nationalism through words, phrases, or sketches in a journal or computer file to revisit later.
What are some concepts of nation?
The concept of a "nation" varies:
Some see it as a country (a physical territory with a government).
Others see it as a sense of belonging, disregarding physical borders.
Nation as "Us": The Battle of Vimy Ridge
Prime Minister Stephen Harper highlighted the Battle of Vimy Ridge as Canada's "creation story." In 1917, all four Canadian army divisions fought together as a single unit and captured a vital military position. This victory fostered pride and a sense of belonging among Canadians, leading them to think of themselves as "us."
Country vs. Nation
The terms "country" and "nation" are often used interchangeably, but they have different meanings:
Country: A geographic area defined by official borders, recognized by other countries, with a government.
Nation: A group of people who share a sense of belonging and want to control their own destiny, but may not have official borders or a government.
Examples:
Canada can be considered both a country (with borders and a government) and a nation (with shared values and beliefs).
The Tsuu T’ina view themselves as a nation, but they are not a country.
Understandings of Nation
The number of countries in the world is disputed. The UN recognizes 192 member countries, but this doesn't include Vatican City or Taiwan. The overall count of countries in the world was around 194 in 2007.
Different perspectives on what makes a nation:
Johann Gottlieb Fichte (18th-century German philosopher): Emphasized shared identity, roots, ancestors, culture, and language.
Ernest Renan (19th-century French philosopher): Believed a nation starts with shared roots but requires a "people’s soul," common glories in the past, a shared will in the present, and the desire to perform great deeds together.
Benedict Anderson (Irish professor): Defined a nation as an "imagined community" where members feel a deep, horizontal comradeship regardless of inequality.
Clément Chartier (president of the Métis National Council): Described the Métis Nation as an Indigenous people with a distinct identity, language, culture, way of life, and self-government prior to Canada’s crystallization as a nation-state, possessing the inherent right of self-determination and self-government.
Collective Identity and Nation
Language helps identify the collective aspect of a nation. Using words like "we," "us," and "our" indicates collective thinking.
Collective identity is a key aspect of all nations. However, thinking of others as "them" can lead to conflict.
Patriotism and Nation
Patriotism is love of country or nation. Expressions of patriotism vary among individuals.
What are some understandings of nation?
"Nation" often refers to people who share ideas about themselves, stemming from shared language, ethnicity, culture, religion, geography, relationship to land, spirituality, and politics.
Language
Sharing a language helps people see the world in similar ways. Languages create a feeling of belonging and inspire a sense of nation.
Language in Québec
French is the first language for over 80% of people in Québec. It gives them a strong feeling of belonging together.
In November 2006, the Conservative government of Prime Minister Stephen Harper recognized the Québécois as a nation "within a united Canada."
Ethnicity
Gi-Wook Shin said, “Koreans have developed a sense of nation based on shared blood and ancestry.” Ethnicity is based on shared racial, cultural, national, or linguistic characteristics from shared ancestors.
Culture
Culture inspires a sense of nation. In Canada, First Nations have distinct cultures that help form their understanding of themselves as nations.
Religion
Religion can contribute to a sense of nation. The Torah teaches that Jews are a nation.
Geography
Physical barriers like mountains isolate peoples. Tibetans were isolated on the Tibetan plateau, developing a distinct language, culture, religious beliefs, and forms of government.
Relationship to Land
Land influences nations beyond geographic barriers by providing different resources, which influence the way people live. A spiritual connection between human beings and a particular place can arise. The Siksika people had a unique relationship with their traditional territory, east of the Rocky Mountains.
Spirituality
A people’s relationship with the land is sometimes linked to the spiritual connections that unite them. Spirituality can unite first nations through spirit bundles, burning sage, sweatgrass and cedar, and taking part in ceremonies such as a powwow or annual Sun Dance.
Politics
In 1965, the United Nations General Assembly debated the Chinese takeover of Tibet in 1949. Delegates discussed whether Tibet is a nation. Frank Aiken argued that if a people have sovereignty—the political authority to control their own affairs—they form a nation.
In 1975, Dene leaders expressed their peoples desire for self-determination. Their declaration demanded independence and self-determination within the country of Canada.
What is a civic nation?
In 1966, Charles Hanley wrote that there is no Canadian nation in the psychological sense, as there are no objects that all Canadians share as objects of national feeling.
However, many Canadians are proud of their differences, which they value and respect.
Michael Ignatieff said that a civic nation unites those who share certain political beliefs, regardless of race, colour, creed, gender, language, and ethnicity. They become a community of equal, rights-bearing citizens, united in patriotic attachment to a shared set of political practices and values.
Most civic nations have a constitution. This is a legal document that lays out the basic rules that a society is built upon. It contains the core laws that defines the nation and how it will be governed. The Canadian Constitution sets out the basic rights and freedoms of Canadians.
The Canadian Constitution was proclaimed in 1982. It cannot be changed by a simple majority vote in Parliament, but requires the support of all provincial legislatures.
Expressing shared values and beliefs protects the values and beliefs expressed in the Constitution.
Nation and Nation-State
One understanding of the term “civic nationalism” suggests that a sense of nation emerges only after a nation-state has been created. The character of this nation then evolves over time. An example of this is Britain, where there are four nations which share values and beliefs, so form a British Civic nation.
Civic nationalism is different from ethnic nationalism, which is based on shared ethnicity, culture, and language.
Making a Difference: Mustafa Kemal Atatürk
Mustafa Kemal envisioned Turkey as an independent parliamentary democracy controlled by the people. He helped change Turkey into a nation whose people’s values were similar to those of many European countries by giving all Turkish citizens the right to vote.Traditional dress was discouraged, and European- style dress was required in public. Women gained the same political and social rights as men. The official language was changed to Turkish from Arabic. An education system designed to promote tolerance was developed.
In 1927, Kemal gave a speech to inspire patriotism in young people. He said, "Turkish youth! Your first duty is to protect and preserve the Turkish Republic forever.
In what ways can identity and nation be related?
The desire to belong is one of the strongest desires a human being can feel. For many people, the idea of a nation has the power to spark feelings of belonging to a much larger collective. When people feel this way, they have a sense of national identity. National identity is a form of collective identity that is shared by many people.
How stories shape a sense of nation
National myths can include ancient traditional stories that connect people with their past.Myths often reach back into unrecorded history and connect people with their past. Myths help people connect their sense of themselves—their identity—to the much larger group of people who form the nation.Civic nations rely on myths to help shape the views of citizens, such as considering Canada a hockey nation.
Canadians are also seen as funny people because of many comedians from Canada.Myths shape people’s sense of national identity, and people shape the national myths.
Joe Mufferaw was a Canadien logger who reflects the way many Canadians wanted to think of themselves as hardy people with Joe Mufferaw statues built in the loggers honour.
Student Perspectives on Nation and Identity
Perspectives can vary. For example, Harley, a member of the kainai Nation, said, “I think two nations are part of who I am. I feel as if Canada is a part of me too, but my feelings are mixed.”
Skill Builder - Choose a name and headline
The challenge for Related Issue 1 asks to create a feature for a special Canada Day edition exploring national and identity connections. In the first activity, you will name the magazine and choose a headline for a feature. First step is to name the magazine, then assess possible headlines for bias.
Possible headlines are:
*The nation isn’t you, so the nation is dead.
*Give self-government to the tormented teen nation!
*The Canadian Constitution: It’s for wimps!
*Stand up for your nation. Stand up for yourself.
Be more creative, and think of other possible headlines for your feature. Choose the headline that best reflects your point of view about the relationship between identity and nation.