Pippa Catterall, Professor of History and Policy, has been quoted in an article by BBC Future about the invasion into territories in World War Two, and the show of patriotic determination by the countries.
The article explains how countries get their national identities, with an anecdote of the invasion of Finland by Soviet Russia in World War Two, why some are more patriotic than others, and the concept of supporting a home territory as a political entity.
Speaking about why national identities are considered important, Professor Pippa Catterall is quoted saying: “If you think about it, all states are artificial constructs. They only work because people do have some sense of identification with them…It's usually a good idea for regimes to build some kind of sense of identity with the state, because it leads to them being able to control the territory, control the streets, etc., more effectively.”
Discussing an example of national identity in the Middle East, she continues: “All the lines on the map in the Middle East were drawn by European powers at some point, as in Africa. So how do you build a sense of 'there is one people' in these states when you're effectively dealing with artificial constructs...You get simple acts like trooping the colour or the lowering of the flag. They're ceremonies which become ways in which elites concoct how you identify with the political order called a state.”
Read the full article on the BBC Future website.
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