Ambivalence, pride and shame: conceptualisations of German nationhood

This article examines complex everyday expressions and understandings of nationhood in Germany, focusing on citizens' articulations of national pride and their relationship with the nation. Through an analysis of ninety semi‐structured interviews with ‘ordinary’ Germans conducted between 2000 a...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Nations and nationalism 2012-01, Vol.18 (1), p.132-135
Main Authors: MILLER-IDRISS, CYNTHIA, ROTHENBERG, BESS
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Ambivalence
Citizens
Elites
Emotions
everyday nationhood
Federal Republic of Germany
Germany
Individuals
Institutions
Nation
National Identity
national pride
national shame
Nationalism
Self Esteem
Shame
Society
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Summary:This article examines complex everyday expressions and understandings of nationhood in Germany, focusing on citizens' articulations of national pride and their relationship with the nation. Through an analysis of ninety semi‐structured interviews with ‘ordinary’ Germans conducted between 2000 and 2002, we argue that the prevailing, elite‐centred approach to studying nationhood has not adequately captured the complex relationships that individuals have to the nation. We examine how individuals actively process and interpret nationhood in ways that reveal ambivalence, confusion and contradictory emotions towards the nation. Such individual variation is not neatly captured by official, elite, public or institutional presentations of the nation. We argue for further research on everyday understandings of nationhood and on ordinary people's views on national pride and national identity.
ISSN:1354-5078
1469-8129
DOI:10.1111/j.1469-8129.2011.00498.x