The Role of Popular Culture in Shaping National Identity

Abstract

The given research investigates the role of popular culture in shaping national identity in terms of the interaction between media and entertainment, the issues of collective memory, and cultural narratives in different societies.  The findings indicate that popular culture can be seen as a mirror and as an accelerator of the national identity reinforcing shared traditions and at the same time challenging established norms.  The results, which are based on case studies in movies, music, sports, and digital media show that popular culture provides an easy access to symbols of belonging and togetherness across lines of class, ethnicity and region differences.  The research also shows that cultural commodities such as popular music and movies serve as strategies to propagate national ideals although the globalised digital networks at the same time end up producing global subjects with hybrid identity leading to a combination of local and foreign cultures.  One major observation is that as much as popular culture fosters national pride and solidarity, it can trigger tensions in terms of cultures, where the imported cultures do not meet the indigenous systems of beliefs.  The results also reveal the greatness of the involvement of the state and institutions in moulding popular culture as a tactic tool in forming identity particularly during political shifts or international competitions.  Finally, the study concludes that popular culture is both dynamic and controversial in giving a national identity. It is somewhere, where we can see the need of continuity and change at the same time, and cultures can remain strong and moody in a world, which is getting more and more integrated together.