Definition of National Culture

The concept of national culture is highly complex and interesting, being able to relate not only with political but also social, cultural, historical and anthropological aspects of a community. The question of national culture has to do with the creation of a identity and a feeling of membership that unites all the members of a society from certain symbols or easily recognizable elements.

The question of the nation, the national culture and the National identity It is a fairly recent phenomenon if we take into account that the concept of the nation as we understand it today arose in the nineteenth century. In this sense, it would not be until after the French Revolution that the territories of the world would begin to have that notion of an entity superior to which all the members of the community are united and that is represented by an endless number of symbols, formulas, traditions and forms of think.

The national culture is then the framework in which all these representations are present, whether they are concrete (such as a typical food of a region) or abstract (such as the

Will to defend the nation and the homeland in any circumstance). The national culture of each territory It is clearly particular and unique, not being able to find two types of equal national cultures, although some, for reasons of proximity or history, share certain elements in common. At the same time, the national cultures of some regions may be the result of a combination of different national identities that are have overlapped over time and then become even more unique and special (for example, the case of the American countries that had a important pre-Columbian culture that would later be combined with the European contribution and later with the American culture, as happens with Mexico).

In many respects, the national culture is clearly and explicitly organized (as can be the case with celebrations common and public, with educational systems, etc.), but it can also occur spontaneously and implicitly, without the intervention specific of any social actor that acts to mold it according to his interests.

Topics in National Culture