National Symbols and Patriotism

and the Establishment of National Identity

It is both South African and African. It is both African and universal. It serves to evoke our distant past, our living present and our future as it unfolds before us. It represents the permanent yet evolving identity of the South African people as it shapes itself through time and space (Mbeki).

On April 27, 2000, South African President Thabo Mbeki spoke these words when unveiling the new South African Coat of Arms. In his speech, President Mbeki went on to say,

Through this new coat of arms, we pay homage to our past. We seek to embrace the indigenous belief systems of our people, by demonstrating our respect for the relationship between people and nature, which for millions of years has been fundamental to our self-understanding of our African condition. It recollects the times when our people believed that there was a force permeating nature which linked the living with the dead. It pays tribute to our land and our continent as the cradle of humanity, as the place where human life first began (Mbeki).

He went on to describe the significance of each image and detail of the coat of arms as if to give a summary of the nation's history and the pride one must take in being a citizen of South Africa. Indeed, even more than influencing the pride of individuals, national symbols such as a coat of arms, a flag, or a national anthem play a significant role in shaping

. . .
y, 'compared with 6,400 and 10,000 on the same days a year earlier.' The demand for flags was ten times what it had been during the Gulf War; flag manufacturers went overtime and doubled, tripled, or quintupled production (Huntington). The awakening of patriotism in America was astounding. And, just as described in the definitions of patriotism above, it was the result of a "external threat" and the symbol of the country û its flag û that brought back the national identity to which its wounded citizens would cling for months. From a different historical perspective, Robert Bonner, in his article titled "Flag Culture and the Consolidation of Confederate Nationalism," published in the Journal of Southern History, presents an interesting view of the roots of why modern Americans venerate their flag as such a pervasive source of national identity. Though many modern Americans would likely resent being discussed in the context of Confederate nationalism, using Bonner's work, America's history once again presents a unique case study under which to examine the connection between national symbols and the establishment of patriotism and national identity. Bonner begins his study by establishing historical precedent on the subject of
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Approximate Word count = 6581
Approximate Pages = 26 (250 words per page)

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