ABSTRACT
Nationalidentitycanneverbeaclear-cutphenomenonbuttheBritishcaseposes anevenmorecomplexquestionindiscussingitsidentity.Thequestionis:whatare welookingat?ThefullnameoftheUKistheUnitedKingdomofGreatBritain andNorthernIreland,whichtookitscurrentformin1922asaresultofIrish independence.UntiltheUnionofGreatBritainandIrelandin1801,thereweretwo separateindependentstates:GreatBritainandIreland.Goingbackfurther,untilthe UnionofEnglandandScotlandof1707,thereweretwoindependentkingdomson thelargestislandoftheBritishIsles-EnglandandScotland,althoughsince1603 bothhadbeenruledbythesamemonarch.Alittlefurtherback,Waleswas formallyincorporatedinEnglandin1536althoughitwasforlongunderdefacto Englishrulesincethe14thcentury.Duetothehistoricalcircumstances,theUKhas atleastfourconstituentnations:English,Scots,WelshandIrish.Inaddition,there arealargenumberofethnicminorities,bothwhiteandnon-white,inthepresent dayUK.1Theissueofnationalidentityinthispolityisindeedcomplicated.
