- Reasons why national symbols are important
- National symbols and national identity
- Themes of interest
- References
The importance of national symbols is due to the fact that they are the symbolic representation of the nation against the rest of the world. This means that these symbols contain, within them, elements that symbolize the national ideal and represent the libertarian struggles of the nation-state to which they belong.
The nation-states base their very existence on the construction of a national identity that ties the people to the territory, language and national culture (which can be indigenous or imposed).
Identities are the representation that differentiates one subject (or a social body) from another. This is why social scientists consider that identities are always relational, since to be "someone", one must always be in contrast to an "other". These vary depending on the historical and social context.
The national symbols are the elements in charge of shaping the identity of the States or nations, it is what is known as national identity.
Reasons why national symbols are important
1-They are the concrete representation of the nation and national sentiment.
2-They identify all the people with a general feeling of national unity.
3-They serve as a reference element to differentiate people from different countries from others.
4-The national symbols work to show the differences and similarities between peoples of different countries.
5-They also show the common points that exist in the history of different countries, for example, the similar flags of Colombia, Ecuador and Venezuela, which show a common past with the libertarian crusade of Simón Bolívar.
6-They remind people of the national values by which they should ideally guide their lives, such as respect, tolerance, equality and fraternity.
7-Finally, the patriotic symbols give a strong sense of belonging in the collective psyche, allowing the country to function without internal fights that endanger its political stability.
National symbols and national identity
The formation of nation-states is a process closely linked to the consolidation of the world capitalist system.
This process of national conformation is not unified, homogeneous or direct, but rather the result of struggles and confrontations between the different power groups that pursue their particular interests.
Nations have been defined as "the social units of reproduction and development of capitalist social formation mainly on political and territorial bases."
The creation and use of "national" cultural values initially seek the hegemony and identification of the groups born of the national conformation with a set of homogeneous cultural representations. Within these national cultural values we can find the national symbols of the nation.
National symbols arise as a result of the conjunction of historical memory and historical discourse that gives them their reason for being and their historicity. Let's see what the implications of this are step by step:
Memory is, broadly speaking, "a complex of psychic functions, with the help of which man is able to update past impressions or information, which he imagines as past." Historical memory is a specific type of memory that gives the past to human societies.
In the field of historical memory, it is possible to differentiate between societies of fundamentally oral memory and societies of written memory: In societies without writing, collective historical memory occurs through origin myths, which give foundation to existence. of ethnic groups or families, when history is often confused with myth.
On the other hand, in societies with writing, memory is transmitted from generation to generation as a written historical discourse, in documents, books and treatises, that is, through the discipline of History.
History has served, since its invention, as a tool at the service of the conservation of collective memory and the construction of national identity.
In this way, the choice and respect for national symbols moves in two directions: as a mnemonic representation of national identity, and at the same time as the historiographic discourse that gives rise to this same identity.
The different symbolic elements that coexist within the national symbols, such as the color of the flag, the animals and plants found on the shield, and the lyrics and music of the national anthem, work to identify the people with their historical roots and reinforce their sense of belonging to their country.
Themes of interest
National Symbols of Mexico.
National Symbols of Venezuela.
References
- Battle, GB (1988). The theory of cultural control in the study of ethnic processes. Anthropological Anuário, 86, 13-53.
- Amodio, Emanuele (2011): Dreaming of the Other. Ethnic identity and its transformations among the indigenous peoples of Latin America. In Emanuele Amodio (Ed.) Inter-ethnic relations and indigenous identities in Venezuela. Caracas: General Archive of the Nation, National Center of History.
- Butler, Judith (2007): The gender in dispute. Barcelona: Editorial Paidós.
- Bate, Luis (1988): Culture, classes and ethnic-national question. Mexico DF: Juan Pablo Editor..
- Le Goff, Jacques (1991) The order of memory. Barcelona: Paidós.
- Casanova, Julián (1991): Social history and historians. Barcelona: Editorial Crítica.
- Valencia Avaria, L. (1974). National symbols. Santiago: National Editor Gabriela Mistral.