NATIONAL NARRATIVE AND NATIONAL IDENTITY. ROLE AND EVOLUTION IN A WORLD OF GLOBALIZATION

The objective of this study is to investigate and analyze how nation-states have created their national narratives and their national identities as well as how the relationship between national narratives and national identities works in the modern world of globalization. Modern states exploit history in order to create historical consciousness and stimulate national identity. Governments of every state have focused on building their national narrative in order to achieve stronger bonds within the mother-state and, also, a strong presence on the international stage. In this context, we study and analyze how the educational system and cultural instruments (such as cinema) can be a powerful tool for creating the national identity of peoples. Our aim is to review relevant research and recent literature in order to provide evidence about whether history can make a decisive contribution to the achievement of the goals of a state. A positive answer to this question directly implies that history of a state/nation should not be regarded simply as a part of the past; instead, history should be assigned a role of crucial importance in affecting and shaping the future. Furthermore, we present our analysis on how the existing competition in the contemporary international environment has led countries to make changes to their national narrative. We also analyze the role of the history of a state in its international relations.