The relationship between nationalism and human rights in the context of identity

Abstract

The main subject of this article is the relationship between the concept of identity, which is one of the most important and interesting topics in social sciences, and the concepts of othering, recognition, nationalism and human rights. When we base the concept of identity, we will see how these concepts complement each other in this study. Especially in the 80’s and 90’s, the political, cultural, economic and social changes that developed in the western world gave a very different dimension to the concept. Of course, these changes brought together the demands of diverse communities and minority groups emerging in Continental Europe. These differences, which are apparent in every field, both economically, socially and culturally, constitute a new model for identities, nation-state and ethnicity in the field of social sciences. Historical facts and social events around the individual or in the past play a significant role in the formation of identities. Thus, identities are alive and they are the structures that are open to constant change. Essentially what matters here is how the individual defines himself and the questions of this issue are “Who am I?”, “where do I feel like I belong? The answers given to these questions will eventually take us to the individual’s self. (Gleason, 2006).