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Floating nationality: its paradoxes in theory and practice
1Institute of Social Medicine and Health Systems Research, Otto von Guericke University Magdeburg, Magdeburg, Germany.
Frontiers in Sociology
|July 16, 2026
Summary
Nationality is more than legal membership; it
Area of Science:
- Sociology
- Political Science
- Cultural Studies
Background:
- Nationality is often viewed as legal membership in a political community.
- However, it also functions as a complex and unstable signifier of collective identity.
- This dual nature creates inherent ambiguities and context-dependent meanings.
Purpose of the Study:
- To explore the multifaceted nature of nationality beyond legal definitions.
- To analyze how nationality signifies collective identity and group self-understanding.
- To investigate the paradoxical experiences of nationality, particularly in postcolonial contexts.
Main Methods:
- Conceptual analysis of nationality as a "floating signifier."
- Examination of the intersection between identity and membership.
- Exploration of postcolonial theory to understand ambivalences in nationality.
Main Results:
- Nationality is a dynamic construct, not a fixed concept.
- It operates at the intersection of "who belongs" (membership) and "what a group believes it is" (identity).
- Postcolonial contexts amplify the inherent paradoxes and contradictions within nationality.
Conclusions:
- Nationality is an unstable signifier with shifting meanings across different settings.
- The emphasis on either identity or membership obscures the other, leading to ambiguity.
- Understanding nationality requires acknowledging its paradoxical nature, especially in the wake of colonialism.
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