Lesson 2 — Activity 4: National Identity

Warm Up

It is very important for people to feel that they belong to someone or something. This desire to belong is one of the strongest desires a person can feel. Think about the sense of belonging you feel when you are part of a group such as your family, your friends, or your school.

What about feeling a sense of belonging to a larger collective, for example, your country? When people feel this way, they have a sense of national identity.

flag in hand

In this activity, you will explore ways that nation and identity are related.

Scholars have said that people living in the same country have taken the symbols of nation and made them part of their sense of themselves. As a result, a feeling of belonging to a nation becomes part of people’s identities. This sense of national identity can be understood as a form of collective identity that is shared by many people. Remember that people can identify with, and belong to, more than one group and nation.

Here is an example of what a teenager who lives in Red Deer, Alberta, might say about her individual, collective, and national identity.

soccer

Individual Identity

I am an excellent soccer player.

I love my sisters and brother.
I support the rights of transgender people.

Collective Identity

In my family, we speak both English and Punjabi.

My best friend and I have performed Bhangra dancing at festivals in our community.

National Identity

As Canadians, we feel that every child has the right to a quality education.
In Canada, we prefer to seek peaceful solutions to conflicts.

Think about the sense of belonging that you feel. In the next assignment, you will be asked to consider your different identities.