NATIONAL IDENTITY AND THE OTHER

Citation
A. Triandafyllidou, NATIONAL IDENTITY AND THE OTHER, Ethnic and racial studies, 21(4), 1998, pp. 593-612
Citations number
31
Categorie Soggetti
Sociology,"Ethnics Studies
Journal title
ISSN journal
01419870
Volume
21
Issue
4
Year of publication
1998
Pages
593 - 612
Database
ISI
SICI code
0141-9870(1998)21:4<593:NIATO>2.0.ZU;2-P
Abstract
This article explores the role of others in the (re-)definition of nat ional identity. A brief review of dominant theories of nationalism sho ws that the existence of the 'other' is an implicit assumption made by most scholars. Nevertheless, the relationship between the nation and the other remains largely unexplored. However, national identity is de fined not only from within, namely from the features that fellow-natio nals share in common but also from without, that is, through distingui shing and differentiating the nation from other nations or ethnic grou ps. National identity becomes meaningful only through the contrast wit h others. This article introduces the notion of 'significant others' t o investigate the ways in which others may condition the formation or lead to a transformation of the identity of the ingroup. The Macedonia n question and the emergence of a new Greek nationalism is used as a c ase-study to highlight the role of significant others in shaping the i dentity of the nation.