Discussion of the issue of national identity

Part of Cristina Ruiz’s article “That Uncertain Feeling: An Italian Living in London On Brexit Britain” looks at issues related to national identity. The article focuses on being an immigrant in the UK in the context of Brexit, and the issue of national identity is explored through Ruiz’s personal experience.

One the one hand, Ruiz’s experience shows that national identity can be fluid and that people can feel they belong to more than one place: “I had to reduce my identity to just one thing, I would describe myself as a Londoner, a term so catholic that it encompasses and accommodates my Italian heritage.” (ll. 55-56)

Ruiz is an Italian who has lived in the UK for 25 years. As a result, she identifies with many parts of British culture: “…to surround myself with people who embrace the values I had always thought to be intrinsically British: inclusivity, openness, and appreciation of different peoples and cultures” (ll. 18-20). This shows how people can embrace positive values they discover in the country they move to, without feeling that their national identity is threatened.  At the same time, when she mentions being familiar with British culture before moving there (ll. 33-37), she shows how British culture is spread across the world. This shows that national identity can be share...