2 March 2009

The Nation: Narratives and Community

This conference report examines the role national narratives - or the stories that nations tell to connect their past, present and future - as powerful and necessary tools in shaping national identity. Within such narratives, the authors argue, the nation as a concept often appears to rely heavily on an essentialized narrative that seeks to homogenize diversity as a strand of coherent unity. Yet, this is arguably a mere blanket over the differences that truly exist within and between communities. Moreover, the mobility paradigm of today accentuates to a greater degree the intricacies of communication among disparate individuals within the nation.

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