National identity is constructed through stories, memories, and images

Evidence

National cultures, then, are composed not only of cultural institutions, but in addition of symbols and representations. A national culture is a discourse. It is a way of constructing meanings which influences and organizes both our actions and our conceptions of our selves. National cultures construct identities by producing meanings about “the nation” with which we can identify: these are contained in the stories which are told about it, memories which connect its present with its past, and images which are constructed of it. Differences between nations lie in the different ways in which they are imagined, that is, conceived, comprehended, represented, and critically considered. — David Theo Goldberg, John Solomos, A Companion to Racial and Ethnic Studies, 123

Categorization

• XREF: connects to: The two legitimating grand narratives are national and European myths — Jean-François Lyotard, The Postmodern Condition: A Report on…, 34; Simultaneous mass attention on the same show created shared national identity — Tim Wu, The Attention Merchants, 331; Recovering local history through research and museums strengthens village identity and cohesion. — Emil Sandström and Ann-Kristin Ekman and Karl-Johan Lindholm, Commoning in the periphery – The role…, 57 (+3 more)