ABSTRACT
The concepts of nation, nationalism, identity, national identity, citizenship education and National Education create an intricate web of possible conceptual linkages in this globalization era. The purpose of this chapter is to define such concepts, which helps to review their meanings and facilitate readers' understandings of the analyses and discussion presented. Both the Western and Eastern literature on the concepts of nation, nationalism, identity and national identity will be addressed, as meanings of 'national identity' and 'National Education'. The relation between nation and government is always problematic. The concept of 'nation' is tied up with National Education in Hong Kong, as the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (SAR) government has enforced a policy of promoting a sense of Chinese national identity to forge closer ties between Hong Kong and China. With regard to education, it is always charged with the mission of cultivating citizens' loyalty to nation, and this applies to the Hong Kong SAR government's nationalistic project after 1997.
