Anthropology: National Belonging and Responses to the Brexit Vote
The essay should be about 5-6 pages in length, with 1-inch margins and an 11- or 12-point standard font.
The aim of this exam is for both of us to get a sense of how well you understand and can think through some of the issues we have discussed in the course. I am interested not just in accurate explanations of terms and issues (although these are important), but also for a thorough examination of complex ideas. There is not a single right way to answer the question. It is important to demonstrate your familiarity with the texts and make use of them in your response, but it is not enough to just summarize the texts.
A successful essay will include the following qualities:
Responds to the question in a thorough, thoughtful, and focused way, addressing the issues raised by the prompt and making extensive use of relevant concepts.
Explains those issues and concepts accurately and thoroughly.
Uses examples accurately and explains their relevance.
Makes explicit and accurate reference to texts and videos, including paraphrasing and quotations. Remember, however, that quotations should be used to support a point you have made in your own words, not to make a point for you.
Additional tips:
Please cite author and page number, but you do not need to give a full citation (list of references) unless you use a text not assigned for class.
You do not have to respond to individual parts of the question in the order they appear here, but be sure to address each of them explicitly.
Question
The issues surrounding “culture and identity in Europe” that we have discussed center on the construction of “us” at the level of regional, national, class, and ethnic identities in part through the construction of regional, national, class, and ethnic others. Often these identities overlap. In this context, “culture” refers less to objective qualities and differences, but rather to perceived, imagined, fantasized qualities attributed to “us” and “them.” The power of these constructions of culture and identity lies in large part in their being treated as normal, obvious, natural, and inescapable — i.e., they are hegemonic. Groups who are othered in this process choose various ways of responding to or navigating the tensions created by stigmatization as well as expectations to conform to values associated with their stigmatized identity.
Drawing on examples from the second half of the semester as well as early texts about national belonging (e.g. Anderson, Zizek), discuss the ways in which a national “us” or sense of national belonging is defined, both in positive terms ("this is who we are") and in relation to a “them” or Other. How do they compare to one another in their articulation of what makes people belong to a particular nation, and on what basis are some identities made to appear incompatible or antithetical to that nation? On what basis does this seem to work differently in the situation described by Erickson ("Utopian Virtues")? How did ideas of national belonging and otherness play a role in shifting responses to the refugee crisis as well as the Brexit vote?
Use:
https://www(dot)youtube(dot)com/watch?v＝12FT7cOLaZ4
https://www(dot)youtube(dot)com/watch?v＝L-i5zj4u7fs
Professor’s name
Course code and name
Date
Anthropology
Culture plays an important role in determining national belonging. United States culture, for example, is grounded in a strong sense of individualism and an emphasis on the pursuit of economic success. Other cultures have different social, economic, and political values that contribute to their distinct national identities. This paper will focus on the issue of national belonging and how it influences the responses to the Brexit vote and refugees.
National belonging can be defined in various ways. Among them is a deep awareness of belonging to national culture and the accompanying sense of patriotism. This refers to a personal identification with one's nation and culture or a cultural attachment to one's country. The concept is usually deeply linked to nationalism. The word "nationalism" has been used in varied ways, sometimes in opposition-to internationalism and occasionally synonymous with it. The word nationalism is derived from the Latin word nātio, meaning birth. The antonym of nationalism is internationalism: a sentiment in opposition to nationalism (Goodman, Sara Wallace, and Hannah 320). Nationalism is a sentiment characteristic of national identity. Often, national identity is used synonymously with nationality. Hence, nationalism can be linked to patriotism. Both words are often used interchangeably with patriotism. When people claim to have a national sense of belonging, they identify with a nation or state and are prepared to defend its interests. Nationalism is also commonly linked to self-determination, which refers to the right of national, ethnic, or other cultural communities who view themselves as distinct from their larger national grouping. Others can also define national belonging. National belonging can be defined as the beliefs, emotions, values, and practices that people take up when they think and act as members of a nation. In these cases, these beliefs, values, practices, and emotions are unique to the people of the particular nations and not people from other areas. It thus builds on the insights provided by studies on national identity.
The positive and negative definitions of what national belonging is related to one another because they present a similar context. To explore national belonging, people need to look at how others think and act as members of their nation and how they identify themselves with it. National belonging can also be defined by one's nation: what a person feels when they belong to that nation (Clarke 16). National belonging is usually connected with ethnic nationalism, which is identified with the concept of a "nation being a historically constituted political community associated with a shared culture. When people identify with a particular nation, they present that nation's beliefs, values, and practices. When people do not identify themselves with the same nation, they do not believe in the particular nation’s practices, beliefs, and values. Such shows that the two definitions of belonging national focus on what people believe or do not believe regarding a particular nation's culture, values, and practices. The two definitions also relate in how they focus on identity. They focus on what people feel about their nation and how they act regarding their nation. One of the most important implications of national belonging is when it is connected to citizenship in a country (van Vemde, Lian, Lisette Hornstra, and Jochem 170). National belonging can be defined in several ways, but it all revolves around the concept of citizenship. Citizenship means that one has consent from other citizens to live within a country. The term also refers to certain rights, like voting and property rights. People who belong to a particular nation can exercise these activities while those who do not have a national belonging cannot. Such shows the relationship between both definitions and clarifies the ideal meaning of national belonging.
Some identities are made to appear incompatible based on religion and race to distinguish who belongs, who does not, and why. This way, people are categorized into groups with certain characteristics, like being white or Asian and identifying with specific religions. When an identity is made based on discrimination or stereotyping, it can be considered unethical. Such an identity is unethical because it does not focus on the people's practices, values, and cultural norms....