Regional and National Identity Case Studies

Regional and National Identity

What is Regional Identity?

Regional Identity is the way in which a particular area of a country is defined by the accent, dialect, dress and customs of its inhabitants.

An example of Regional Identity

'EastEnders' (1985 - present) is a British Soap Opera based in the fictional London Borough of Walford in the East End of London.

Settings in EastEnders include The Queen Victoria, The R&R (nightclub), A community centre, A cafe and The Albert (cocktail bar). These are all in the environment of Albert Square.

We can immediately see from the soap's title screen that the regional identity of the show is set in London as we can see the River Thames flowing through East London. Additionally, the Olympic Stadium which is in Stratford, East London is also present under the 'B' from the 'BBC' logo,

What is recognisable for 'EastEnders' and it's regional identity is the characters' accents and dialect. Almost all characters have a 'cockney, east-end' accent' which is highly recognisable by viewers. For example, The main setting of where characters come together and socialise is called 'The Queen Victoria Pub', however locals call this by it's nickname 'The Vic'. This is because it is a highly recognisable place in Walford and is well-known to the characters. 

Another way that EastEnders is recognised by its regional identity is through the train station which in the Drama is called 'Walford East Station'. 

By immediately noticing the logo, viewers can easily recognise that the setting of EastEnders is in Greater London. This is because in reality, similar logos are used in and around London train stations, for example; Bond Street train station.

What is National Identity?

National Identity is the representation of a country as a whole, encompassing its culture, traditions, language and politics. This includes the characteristics of the country that are clearly definable to other nations.

An example of National Identity:

The Ugandan flag is an example of National Identity, as the image of the bird and the six horizontal colours on the flag are representatives of the country in their own way. The flag was adopted by the country on the 9th October 1962 to show that the country is independent from the United Kingdom. Uganda is a commonwealth country.

The colour 'Red' on the flag symbolizes the African Brotherhood within the country. 'Yellow' represents the sun, as the country's climate is mainly a hot, warm and humid climate yearly and the colour 'Black' represents the people of Uganda.

In the centre of the flag is bird called the 'Grey Crested Crane (Balearica Regulorum)' is known to the citizens of Uganda as the Country's national badge. The bird symbolizes the peace and gentle nature of the people in Uganda. At first symbol of the bird was used as a military badge on the uniform of Ugandan soldiers during the time of when Uganda was ruled by the U.K. However, now that the country is independent, the raised leg on the Crested Crane symbolizes and identifies that Uganda no longer is a stagnating nation but is a nation that is moving forward independently and is developing.