ABSTRACT

The issue of nationality and citizenship is a complex topic. A seemingly simple question about nationality might lead to a number of different perspectives and ideas on the issue. If you come from the British Isles it might be easy to assume that you are British, but many people would consider themselves English, Scottish, Irish or Welsh before being British. Other British citizens might classify themselves as being a Londoner, a Glaswegian or coming from Yorkshire or Cornwall. Similarly, an American might consider themselves as coming from a particular Federal state like Texas, California or Pennsylvania, or describe themselves as an African-American or Irish-American. Defining nationality relates to the idea of political identity, and to the idea of belonging to a particular nation and to a particular state.