NATIONAL IDENTITY IN NIAGARA FALLS, CANADA AND THE UNITED STATES

Author: STIEVE, THOMAS

Source: Tijdschrift voor Economische en Sociale Geografie, Volume 96, Number 1, February 2005 , pp. 3-14(12)

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Abstract:

Some theories contend that national identity is dependent and contingent on having others. However, other theories suggest that national identity is based on traits that all members of the group share. These two competing ideas, called relational and unifying characters respectively, are explored using the two border cites of Niagara Falls, Canada and Niagara Falls, the United States. I argue that each national identity present, the Canadian and American, represent the two characters and that national identity can be viewed as a spectrum. Using content analysis, each city's newspaper is studied for its expression of both characters.

Keywords: National identity; Niagara Falls; content analysis; relational character; unifying character; borders; other

Document Type: Research article

DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-9663.2005.00435.x

Affiliations: 1: Department of Geography, Wilkeson Quadrangle, Rm. 105 Ellicott Complex, North Campus, Buffalo, New York 14261-0023, USA., Email: t_stieve@hotmail.com

Publication date: 2005-02-01