National belonging requires forgetting much of one’s country’s history

Evidence

What is necessary for people to have a sense of belonging to their nation? To reach optimal distinctiveness (Brewer, 1991), of course, and to perceive their nation as high in entitativity (Castano, Yzerbyt, & Bourguignon, 2003), but also to forget many of the events of their country’s history (Renan, 1882). — Roderick M. Kramer, Geoffrey J. Leonardelli, Robert W. Livingston, Social Cognition, Social Identity, and…, 2087

Categorization

• XREF: Connects to Renan’s famous dictum that nations are built on forgetting — here it’s given empirical framing via optimal distinctiveness and entitativity.