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FRIHUMSAM-Fri prosj.st. hum og sam

Negotiating the nation: Implications of ethnic and religious diversity for national identity (NATION)

Awarded: NOK 8.2 mill.

The NATION project has investigated the role of ethnic and religious diversity in contemporary European nation-building. National identity is not a fixed entity, and through the parallel processes of globalization, immigration and secularization, traditional notions of national identity are changing. The NATION project has sought to understand these issues by exploring how nationhood is negotiated in three European countries: Norway, France and the United Kingdom. The NATION project has addressed nation-building not only as a top-down strategy of state authorities, but also as a discursive bottom-up process. The latter includes voices from civil society, the media, political contenders and the general public, through document analysis, focus groups and interviews. Research focus Who is a nation? Where is a nation? When is a nation? Why is a nation? How is a nation ?a nation?? Too often, the basis for nationhood ? for inclusion or exclusion in the nation, and the ways in which boundaries of the nation are interpreted and operationalized in studies ? is not made explicit. For instance, in a survey on the implications of migration-related diversity for the nation, who is entitled to have an opinion? When questions of the future of national culture are discussed, who has the legitimate right to express an opinion? Those who are citizens? Those who were born in the country in question? Those who have parents who were born there? Or, those ? in the context of Norway and much of Europe ? who are white, or otherwise racially or religiously defined? Any approach, with its ensuing choices and their implications, should be justified in relation to its scientific merits. Whom you choose to ask about the nation will affect the answers you receive. Research Insights from the NATION project Experiences and perceptions: Ordinary people produce and reproduce boundaries of nationhood in their everyday lives, through entangled relationships between perceptions of nationhood and everyday experiences. (Re)producing the everyday nation: When choosing where their children will grow up, parents draw on multiple temporalities of an imagined community ? in the past, present, and future ? where nation and diversity are both contradictory and intertwined. Ethnicity, race and ancestry: Although identities are relational and dynamic, whether you can become Norwegian ? or British or French ? is often viewed in relation to specific identity-dimensions. Religious diversity and secularism: Even in societies characterized by religious pluralism and secularity, religious diversity runs the risk of becoming mainly associated with essentializing identity politics. Terrorism and the national: Societal responses to terror attacks in Norway and in France provide insights on manifestations of national unity across ethnic, religious, and political difference, with moments of national unity. Asserting and contesting nationness: The paradox of static conceptions of national identity, and dynamic experiences of the plural everyday nation, can be juxtaposed with the constitutional nation, as articulated in policy, which often lacks tools to navigate and build present-day nationhood. A plural conception of the nation: Modern-day European societies are plural; indeed, they have to some extent been plural historically. Europe's history is the history of all today's Europeans, although seen differently. The understanding of who ?we? are needs to be open, because reality does not reflect singular readings of history, nor of the present day, in terms of a culturally pure us. Results The project has resulted in a number of journal articles and book chapters, 3 policy briefs, and a summary report. Research communication has been central to the project, and included 16 conference and workshop presentations at international academic events, but also 14 media appearances, including op-ed?s, blog posts, and radio interviews. Contestations around nationhood and diversity have also led to interest from a range of different stakeholders, including Norwegian government actors, student organizations, and those working against racism in Norwegian schools, resulting in 16 invited talks. The NATION project itself organized 4 seminars/conferences open to the general public.

What does it mean to be Norwegian, French or British, and what are the roles of ethnicity and religion for contemporary European nation-building? Through the parallel processes of globalization, immigration and secularization, traditional notions of natio nal identity are under pressure. Negotiating the nation: implications of ethnic and religious diversity for national identity (NATION) seeks to explore these themes through three overarching research questions. 1) Along which boundaries do conflicts aroun d the meaning of national identity arise? 2) What are the implications of increased ethnic diversity on national identity? 3) How do religious and ethnic identities interact in current negotiations of nationhood? These questions are explored from top-dow n, meso-level, as well as bottom-up perspectives focusing on the power of definition that different actors hold in processes of negotiating the nation. While studies of nationalism and nation-building are traditionally top-down focused, NATION emphasizes the multiplicity of actors and the significance of bottom-up perspectives for negotiations of national identity. This is achieved through a combination of interview data and textual analysis at all three levels, including essays written by youth, print ne wspaper opinion pieces and policy documents. Norway is the main case-study for the project, exploring the ways in which the nation has been negotiated in the aftermath of the 22 July 2011 terrorist attacks. In order to provide international comparison, pa rallels will be drawn with the UK and France, in particular with regard to mediated negotiations of the nation. NATION includes two international workshops, an academic conference and a conference open to an interested audience. The project will result in one anthology in Norwegian and 12 peer-reviewed journal articles.

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FRIHUMSAM-Fri prosj.st. hum og sam