Ethics,national sovereignty and the control of immigration

"This paper examines the debate as to whether migration is a basic human right or if the claims of outsiders are superseded by the principle of national sovereignty--the moral obligation of states to do the best for their own citizens. In evaluating migration and refugees it focuses on issues of open borders, migration selectivity, the capacity of sovereign states to control entry, the claims of refugees, the relationship between sovereignty and justifiable intervention, and the role of public opinion and morals throughout migration policies."     

War and the contest over national identity

This paper looks at a recent historical moment in which the American national identity was defined and contested in the public arena. The Persian Gulf crisis of 1990‐91 presents a case in point in which official actors attempted to define the American character and in so doing prescribed particular actions necessary to fulfill what it means to be an American confidence. He described Americans as unique in esteemed values and America as the only country capable of leading the world. In so doing, he invited American participation in support for US military intervention. On the other side, the peace movement chose to emphasize American weaknesses, domestic problems, and the gullible nature of the American people. In so doing it attempted to shame Americans into supporting the anti‐war movement.     

Mythscapes: memory,mythology, and national identity

In this paper I seek to challenge the dominant modes of conceiving the relationship between memory and national identity, and in so doing offer analysts of nationalism an improved understanding of the dynamics of national identity formation. The concept of collective memory is invoked regularly in attempts to explain the pervasiveness and power of nationalism. I argue that the concept is misused routinely in this context, and instead I employ a 'social agency' approach to theorizing, whereby memory is conceived in a more limited and cogent manner. I argue that it is important to distinguish clearly between memory and mythology, both of which are essential to understanding national identity, for not only are the two concepts distinct, they can also act in opposition to each other. Following from this I introduce the notion of a 'mythscape', the temporally and spatially extended discursive realm in which the myths of the nation are forged, transmitted, negotiated, and reconstructed constantly. Through employing the idea of a mythscape we can relate memory and mythology to each other in a theoretically profitable way.     

Age at immigration and education: further explorations

Trends in the relationship between age at immigration and educational attainment are examined using age- and sex-specific data for Canada, 1881-1973. "Although initial analyses of data, collected for the [1973] Canadian Mobility Study, reveal a weak relationship between age at immigration and educational attainment, inclusion of a measure of periodicity in educational attainment models reveals age at immigration to have an effect comparable to that of family size on educational attainment. Given the strong periodicity effect, when age at immigration is excluded from the analysis, it is argued that the status attainment model, which best accounts for the educational attainment of native-born Canadians, also accounts best for the educational attainment of the foreign-born."     

The legacy of sport and national identity

The historical connection between media and sport is well established(Rowe,2009).The development of modern sport has been profoundly affected by the various forms of mass communication including newspaper and magazine,video,records,television and Internet.     

Sexual minority women's gender identity and expression: challenges and supports

Sexual minority women were divided into four groups to study their gender identities (butch and femme), and gender expression (traditionally gendered and non-traditionally gendered women who do not identify as butch or femme). Experiences of heterosexist events (discrimination, harassment, threats of violence, victimization, negative emotions associated with these events), mental health (self esteem, stress, depression), and supports for a sexual minority identity (social support, outness, internalized homophobia) were examined across these groups. Findings suggested that butch-identified women experienced more heterosexist events than femme women or women with non-traditional gender expressions. There were no differences in mental health variables.     

Religion and national identity in Greek education

Religion has been an important element in the shaping of collective identities in Europe in the past. In some cases, for example in Southern and Eastern Europe, religious identities have been associated with the emergence of national awareness and nationalism. This paper argues that in many European countries religion continues to be a key component of identity politics, exercised by the state through education. This process is examined with regard to educational policies and knowledge control in the context of the Greek educational system. It is argued that, in Greece, religious instruction extends far beyond the religious education curriculum, a fact that has certain implications for the secularist character of education, for the construction of dominant identities and for social exclusion practices.     

Visual symbols of national identity: Slovene bumper stickers and the collective unconscious

During the struggle for international recognition of Slovenia as independent state, common people produced many visual symbols. These symbols functioned as a metaphor for the promotion of Slovene national independence, consistent with Jung's view that a myth consists of symbols which are created on the unconscious level. Many of the proposals for new coat‐of‐arms, flag, money and license plates of cars appeared on the streets and, as a special characteristic of the time, on the backs of cars. In this way the automobile became an advertising billboard of his owner's political opinion. This article exposes and analyses characteristic decorations as unique political graffi. Reading these visual signs monitors the whole story of Slovenia, the story of becoming an independent state, and the nature of the tragic Yugoslav conflict as well.     

Age at immigration and educational attainment

Cette analyse des données d'une étude sur la mobilité canadienne révèle que le niveau d'éducation atteint par les immigrants qui sont arrivés au Canada à temps pour suivre les cours d'école primaire, semble être plus élevé que le niveau atteint par ceux qui sont arrivés avant ou après cet âge. Toutefois, comme la plupart des différences entre les catégories d'âge à L'arrivée ne sont guère significatives, statistiquement parlant, et comme les valeurs des mesures concises de la relation globale sont peu élevées, il y a lieu de douter si L'âge à L'arrivée exerce en soi un effet direct sur le niveau d'éducation atteint. Ces résultats sont en opposition avec ceux publiés par Inbar et donnent très peu d'appui à celui-ci, dont les conclusions font croire que L'âge à L'arrivée entraîne des conséquences différentielles pour L'acculturation. Analysis of Canadian Mobility Study data reveals that educational attainment tends to be higher among those who immigrated to Canada during grade school years than among those who immigrated earlier or later. However, as most differences between age-at-immigration categories are not statistically significant and as values for summary measures of the overall relationship are low, there is reason to doubt that age at immigration, in itself, exercises a direct effect on educational attainment. These findings contrast sharply with those reported by Inbar and provide little support for his conclusion that age at immigration has differential consequences for acculturation.     

The markers and rules of Scottish national identity

This article examines how people set about the task of national identity construction and maintenance in the context of a study of landed and arts elites in Scotland. With reference to our empirical material throughout, we outline the key national identity processes: claim, attribution and the receipt of claims and attributions. Central to these are identity markers and rules. Identity markers are those social characteristics presented to others to support a national identity claim and looked to in others, either to attribute national identity, or receive and assess any claims or attributions made. Identity rules are probabilistic rules of thumb, guidelines to how these identity markers are interpreted, combined or given precedence over others within these three processes. Particular attention is given to identity rules, and consideration of the contexts in which they are adhered to or transgressed.     

The significance of national pride and national identity to the attitude toward the single European currency: A Europe-wide comparison

The purpose of this paper is to explain the attitude toward the euro on the basis of different aspects of national identity. It is demonstrated that national identity and national pride both entail multi-dimensional constructs. Where national identity is concerned, in most countries a dimension of pure categorization (patriotism) can be distinguished from a dimension of discrimination (nationalism). The third dimension encountered is that of “European patriotism”. National pride can express itself, first, in terms of cultural–historical pride and, second, in terms of economic–political pride. Where the attitude toward the euro is concerned, the stance of European patriotism and the nationalistic stance have particular explanatory force. The former fosters a positive attitude toward the euro, while the latter has a negative impact on the attitude toward the euro. National patriotism, on the other hand, bears no relation to the attitude toward the European Monetary Union.PsycINFO classification code: 2960; 3020     

Global networks of money and information at the crossroads: Correspondent banking and SWIFT

This article explores how transaction information is a fundamental element enabling and fostering global flows of money. Financial systems, constructed around account-based money, require infrastructure, which is separated into two parts: messaging and settlement, performed via trusted agents. This separation has allowed the geographical expansion of banking, and to this day constitutes a key architecture of increasingly global networks of money. Focusing on the correspondent banking system and the Society for Worldwide Interbank Financial Telecommunication, this article demonstrates the workings of this infrastructure in cross-border payments and in enacting economic sanctions. This sociotechnical infrastructure is a crucial yet overlooked area of global banking, which makes global economic and financial activity possible in the first place. Importantly, by analysing the organizational architecture of the global payments system and including the actors and agencies within it, we elucidate the (changing) relationships between data/information, geographies and power, contributing to the formation of a literature that conceptualizes financial infrastructure.     

Imagined communities in the global game: soccer and the development of Dutch national identity

Abstract Using the recent history of Dutch soccer as an illustrative case, this article supports a line of argument in globalization studies that generally focuses on the variable reverberations of globalization and more specifically suggests that globalization entails the embattled redefinition of national identities. I show how the involvement of the Dutch national team in global competition aided the construction of a myth of national football distinction and how media coverage and discourse turned this myth into a key element of a re imagined national community. The Dutch view of themselves as a unique soccer nation fits familiar global patterns, and a sociologically informed critique of their romantic soccer self‐image displays the myth as myth. At the same time, however, the critique is part of the discourse, which involves more than an a historical expressive myth erected as a defence against globalization. I argue that it is more complex, more reflexive and more fluid than some accounts of soccer nationalism would lead us to expect or than nostalgic neopatriots might prefer. The article thus also offers a critique of a standard critique of national sports image‐making, which fits with a promising thrust in soccer and globalization scholarship.     

Nation and empire: English and British national identity in comparative perspective

Theory and Society -     

Using national recording systems for the measurement and analysis of immigration to the United States

This article considers the kinds of data required to increase scientific knowledge about US immigration and, in light of those requirements, assesses the principal currently available data sets and makes recommendations for improving the data environment. Study of US immigration phenomena requires data with 3 properties: 1) that they cover immigrants, sponsors, and nation-states; 2) that they measure and link the migration-relevant attributes of the immigrants, sponsors, and nation-states, including the visa histories of both immigrants and sponsors; and 3) that they capture the migration-relevant attributes in a longitudinal manner. The 2 principal data sources currently available for studying immigration--the US decennial censuses and the administrative records of the Immigration and Naturalization Service--fall far short of the data requirements dictated by current reasoning and models about the migration process. Current data sources do not permit, except under stringent assumptions, the estimation of models of such phenomena as earnings, language acquisition, marital behavior, and fertility behavior. The authors propose both a new data-collection effort and a set of enhancements to existing data sources. Perhaps the most efficient way to learn more about immigration would be to design and implement a new data-collection effort with great success. In the meantime, proposed enhancements to existing data sources could help fill some gaps in present knowledge.     

Ethnic nominalism and civic religiosity: Christianity and national identity in Britain

The relationship between religion and national identity is a contested topic in public debates about cultural diversity and immigration. In sample surveys only a minority the British population identify themselves as belonging to a Christian religion, and far fewer practise their faith. Nevertheless, nearly a quarter of the population think it is important to be Christian to be truly British. This study explores the complex relationships between religious and national identities in Britain, using data from the 2008 British Social Attitudes Survey. Three different forms of national identity were identified through factor analysis: civic‐symbolic, cultural‐aesthetic and ethnic national identity. Ethnic national identity is the only dimension of national identity that is positively associated with thinking it is important to be Christian to be British. While churchgoing Christians are more likely to feel national in response to secular cultural symbols, they are less likely to associate religion with nationality than those with a nominal Christian affiliation. The results indicate that Christianity has cultural significance for national identity primarily as a proxy for ethnic identity.