On the causal relationship between participation in national commemorations and feelings of national belonging

Abstract

It is often theoretically argued that participation in national commemorations increases feelings of national belonging. Previous studies have also empirically demonstrated that participation in national commemorations and feelings of national belonging are positively related. We are uncertain, however, about the direction of this relationship. Does participating in national commemorations increase feelings of national belonging (increase hypothesis) or do people who attend such ceremonies feel a greater sense of national belonging compared to people who not attend (selection hypothesis)? Using an innovative research design, this study sheds more light on the direction of the relationship between participation in national commemorations and feelings of national belonging. We collected data from respondents before (n = 469), during (n = 50) and after (n = 226) the national ceremony on Remembrance Day in 2015 in the Netherlands. In this study, we found support for the selection hypothesis, but not for the increase hypothesis.

National Days, National Identity, and Collective Memory: Exploring the Impact of Holocaust Day in Israel

“…However, these two studies produced conflicting results. A study in the Netherlands (de Regt, ) compared three groups: (1) people preparing to attend the national commemoration on Remembrance Day, (2) people who had attended the national ceremony, and (3) people who did not attend the ceremony. This research design enabled the researchers to compare those who participated in the ceremonies and those who did not.…”

“…Nonetheless, the studies that have examined the effect of participation in national days on national identity have significant limitations, primarily an inability to determine causality. In addition, the few studies (Ariely, ; de Regt, ) that have employed research designs addressing this limitation have produced inconsistent findings. Finally, no prior studies have investigated the relationship between national days and collective memory and how national identity is related to collective memory under the impact of national days.…”

“…Recent studies employing different approaches have begun exploring this issue by looking at national identity from below (Coopmans et al, ; Coopmans, Van der Lippe, & Lubbers, ; Fozdar et al, ). However, few studies have explicitly tested the impact of national days on national identity (Ariely, ; de Regt, ), and none to date have examined the impact of national days on collective memory.…”

“…Other studies have pointed to the correlation between participation in national days and national identity (Coopmans, Lubbers, & Meuleman ; Fozdar, Spittles, & Hartley, ; Meuleman & Lubbers, ). However, the underlying assumption that national days have a significant influence on national identity has rarely been subject to empirical investigation—only a few studies have tested the casual impact of national days, and their results are inconclusive (Ariely, ; de Regt, ). Further, while scholars have assumed that national days impact collective memory, there are no systematic analyses of this presumed relationship.…”

Feeling Attached and Feeling Accepted: Implications for Political Inclusion among Visible Minority Immigrants in Canada

“…A a strong sense of belonging could help foster political inclusion, but a successful inclusion could facilitate a stronger sense of belonging. de Regt () observes that a strong sense of belonging seems to precede participation in national commemorations in the Netherlands, lending support for the former perspective. Nevertheless, it is likely that belonging is both a means to political inclusion and an end in itself.…”