National identity is understood as that identity of a person who is related to the nation to which he belongs, be it because he was born in that territory, because he was part of a community or because he felt ties of belonging to the customs and traditions of that nation. . National identity is one of the most important phenomena of the modern era, one that clashes and struggles in many ways with the concept of globalization or global village.
The idea of nation arose in the mid-nineteenth century as an almost direct consequence of the events unleashed by the French Revolution in 1789
With the advance of Napoleon and the national reorganization of many European states, the idea of nation began to establish itself as one of the most important elements not only for a state or government but also for a people. The nation is represented by the feeling of belonging that an individual (and with him all those who are part of his community) can have towards certain practices, traditions, ways of thinking, cultural and religious structures, etc. The nation is also represented through numerous symbols that can be very concrete as well as abstract (those found in the common imagination of people).
Each country has its history, this is so, and there are no exceptions in this regard, and of course this fact is decisive in the knowledge of the culture of each nation
The most important events that have happened in a territory, in any of its planes and levels, end up integrating the collective consciousness of the inhabitants of that geographic region.
And in addition to the historical element, countries have, as we have just pointed out, a series of elements that identify them and distinguish them from another nation: traditions, uses and customs, language, gastronomy, national symbols, among others. All this conglomerate, history, plus singular elements make up the national identity, the DNA of a nation, which of course, in most cases, makes the people who make up the country in question feel pride and normally defend them before the attack they may suffer. It is extremely rare that the inhabitant of a country, who was born and always developed in it, does not feel empathy and pride in the face of national identity.
Beware of extreme national positions because they lead to discrimination
Regarding the latter, we were talking about pride and the defense of national identity, it is important that we mention that this should not be confused with an exaggerated valuation and protection that leads to extremist positions that attack what is not part of the national identity. Unfortunately these positions are common in some countries and all they do is undermine the rights of ethnic minorities.
Now, we must also clarify, because normally people are confused with this, that national identity is not what comes from the caricature of a society, for example the fact that Argentines love barbecue and tango or that Mexicans they live drinking tequila. Although these issues are very present in the aforementioned nations, they are a simplification and do not fully demonstrate national identity, they are only an aspect associated with tastes and customs but not national identity.
National identity versus globalization
Once it is clear how to define the idea of national identity, it is easy to oppose it to notions such as imperialism, globalization or colonialism. These always suppose the dominance of one region of the planet over others or the complete integration of the entire planetary system under certain political, economic, social and cultural characteristics that are imported from those dominant zones. This is why today, national identity seeks to fight against the advance of globalized forms in order to firmly establish its unique and peculiar character. The different national identities of the countries or territories that make up the planet may be more or less strong when facing such a globalized system.
