Construction of national identity and national pride of Germans in the intercultural context

<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>

Name thesis:degree_name

Master of Arts (MA)

Level thesis:degree_level

Open Access Thesis

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

Communication, Media and Theatre Arts

Year

2006

Author dc:creator

• Koening, Nadja

Contributors dc:contributor

• Michael A. Tew, PhD, Chair
• Gary L. Evans, PhD
• Kathleen Stacey, PhD

• Nationalism Germany
• Patriotism Germany
• Group identity Germany
• Communication
• Critical and Cultural Studies

Repository record dc:identifier

https://commons.emich.edu/theses/78

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:commons.emich.edu:theses-1077