Gender, Race and National Identity

Nations of Flesh and Blood

All nations construct stories of national belonging, stories of the nation’s character, its accomplishments, its defining traits, its historical trajectory. These stories, or discourses of national identity, carry powerful messages about gender and race, messages that reflect, reproduce and occasionally challenge social hierarchies.

Gender, Race and National Identity examines links between gender, race and national identity in the US, UK, Australia and Japan. The book takes an innovative approach to national identity by analyzing a range of ephemeral and pop cultural texts, from Olympic opening ceremonies, to television advertisements, letters to the editor, broadsheet war coverage, travel brochures, museums and living history tourist venues. Its rich empirical detail and systematic cross-national comparisons allow for a fuller theorization of national identity.