National identity and patriotism are very problematic and highly sensitive concepts in contemporary Germany. Many scholars agree that a positive national identity is crucial for a nation’s well-being. This research attempts to investigate the process of forming a national identity and the display of national pride in the intercultural communication context. One focus group was conducted to analyze how Germans construct and/or reinvent their national identity when communicating with individuals from other nations.
The results show that German national identity and national pride are strongly intertwined and poise a unique problem for every German. Germans have major difficulties in developing and expressing national pride, which consequently makes it even harder for the country to form a healthy and positive national identity. Thus, for Germany and its people, the connection between national identity and patriotism is a double-edged sword.
","abstract_html":"<p>National identity and patriotism are very problematic and highly sensitive concepts in contemporary Germany. Many scholars agree that a positive national identity is crucial for a nation’s well-being. This research attempts to investigate the process of forming a national identity and the display of national pride in the intercultural communication context. One focus group was conducted to analyze how Germans construct and/or reinvent their national identity when communicating with individuals from other nations.</p> <p>The results show that German national identity and national pride are strongly intertwined and poise a unique problem for every German. Germans have major difficulties in developing and expressing national pride, which consequently makes it even harder for the country to form a healthy and positive national identity. Thus, for Germany and its people, the connection between national identity and patriotism is a double-edged sword.</p>","abstract_has_math":false,"creators":["Koening, Nadja"],"institution":null,"degree_name":"Master of Arts (MA)","degree_level":"Open Access Thesis","degree_discipline":"Communication, Media and Theatre Arts","degree_department":null,"school":null,"contributors":["Michael A. Tew, PhD, Chair","Gary L. Evans, PhD","Kathleen Stacey, PhD"],"advisors":[],"committee_chairs":[],"committee_members":[],"year":2006,"date_issued":"2006-01-01T08:00:00Z","date_published":"2006-01-01T08:00:00Z","updated_at":"2026-07-24T02:16:24Z","subjects":["Nationalism Germany","Patriotism Germany","Group identity Germany","Communication","Critical and Cultural Studies"],"languages":[],"rights":[],"rights_urls":[],"identifier_entries":[]},"links":{"outbound_url":"https://commons.emich.edu/theses/78","outbound_label":"Repository record","outbound_source":"dc:identifier"},"metadata_groups":[{"id":"people","label":"People","entries":[{"key":"dc:contributor","label":"Contributor","values":["Michael A. Tew, PhD, Chair","Gary L. Evans, PhD","Kathleen Stacey, PhD"]},{"key":"dc:creator","label":"Author","values":["Koening, Nadja"]}]},{"id":"academic_context","label":"Academic Context","entries":[{"key":"thesis:degree_discipline","label":"Discipline","values":["Communication, Media and Theatre Arts"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_level","label":"Degree Level","values":["Open Access Thesis"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_name","label":"Degree Name","values":["Master of Arts (MA)"]}]},{"id":"subjects_keywords","label":"Subjects and Keywords","entries":[{"key":"dc:subject","label":"Dc Subject","values":["Nationalism Germany","Patriotism Germany","Group identity Germany","Communication","Critical and Cultural Studies"]}]},{"id":"identifiers","label":"Identifiers","entries":[{"key":"dc:identifier","label":"Identifier","values":["https://commons.emich.edu/theses/78"]}]},{"id":"additional","label":"Additional Metadata","entries":[{"key":"dc:description.abstract","label":"Abstract","values":["National identity and patriotism are very problematic and highly sensitive concepts in contemporary Germany. Many scholars agree that a positive national identity is crucial for a nation’s well-being. This research attempts to investigate the process of forming a national identity and the display of national pride in the intercultural communication context. One focus group was conducted to analyze how Germans construct and/or reinvent their national identity when communicating with individuals from other nations.
The results show that German national identity and national pride are strongly intertwined and poise a unique problem for every German. Germans have major difficulties in developing and expressing national pride, which consequently makes it even harder for the country to form a healthy and positive national identity. Thus, for Germany and its people, the connection between national identity and patriotism is a double-edged sword.
"]},{"key":"dc:title","label":"Title","values":["Construction of national identity and national pride of Germans in the intercultural context"]}]}],"canonical_facts":{"dc:contributor":["Michael A. Tew, PhD, Chair","Gary L. Evans, PhD","Kathleen Stacey, PhD"],"dc:creator":["Koening, Nadja"],"dc:description.abstract":["National identity and patriotism are very problematic and highly sensitive concepts in contemporary Germany. Many scholars agree that a positive national identity is crucial for a nation’s well-being. This research attempts to investigate the process of forming a national identity and the display of national pride in the intercultural communication context. One focus group was conducted to analyze how Germans construct and/or reinvent their national identity when communicating with individuals from other nations.
The results show that German national identity and national pride are strongly intertwined and poise a unique problem for every German. Germans have major difficulties in developing and expressing national pride, which consequently makes it even harder for the country to form a healthy and positive national identity. Thus, for Germany and its people, the connection between national identity and patriotism is a double-edged sword.
"],"dc:identifier":["https://commons.emich.edu/theses/78"],"dc:subject":["Nationalism Germany","Patriotism Germany","Group identity Germany","Communication","Critical and Cultural Studies"],"dc:title":["Construction of national identity and national pride of Germans in the intercultural context"],"thesis:degree_discipline":["Communication, Media and Theatre Arts"],"thesis:degree_level":["Open Access Thesis"],"thesis:degree_name":["Master of Arts (MA)"]},"updated_at":"2026-07-24T02:16:24Z"}