The Happiness of Non-identity
Before I moved to Germany, I liked to think I was moving to a country inhabited by a common people. Like all groups of common peoples, they would be nationalistic and rejoice in their glory days, lament at their waning power on the global scene and exhibit how their culture was the greatest thing that ever happened to civilization. Well it didn't take long to figure out that if they do any of those things, its somewhat more subtle than the American drama that Canadians are used to having played out year after year for them.
After I moved to Germany, but in the recent months, to be more precise, I came to the realization that I do indeed like this country and I found myself wondering where that came from. I think I understand now that Germany and Canada are very similar in important ways, most notably the lack of any real identity.
Although both countries are home to large immigrant communities, ideas about what immigration is and the role of immigrants in society are worlds apart. In Canada the immigrant composition of the population plus the short history of the country, make little occasion for forging a national identity. Although many are "proud" to be Candian, we are not a nation of flag-wavers and patriot party-bangers. We are more subtle, we are happy, nee content even. In Germany, there is a long tradition of not having a German identity, it goes back to the original unification and was only reinforced after the war when it was a discrace to be proud of being German. The idea of a German identity doesn't exist in the same way it does for the French, English or Americans, much like it doesn't exist fo Candians either.
Maybe that is one reason why I like the country so. I am as much a piece of a large non-identity here as I was in Canada.
After I moved to Germany, but in the recent months, to be more precise, I came to the realization that I do indeed like this country and I found myself wondering where that came from. I think I understand now that Germany and Canada are very similar in important ways, most notably the lack of any real identity.
Although both countries are home to large immigrant communities, ideas about what immigration is and the role of immigrants in society are worlds apart. In Canada the immigrant composition of the population plus the short history of the country, make little occasion for forging a national identity. Although many are "proud" to be Candian, we are not a nation of flag-wavers and patriot party-bangers. We are more subtle, we are happy, nee content even. In Germany, there is a long tradition of not having a German identity, it goes back to the original unification and was only reinforced after the war when it was a discrace to be proud of being German. The idea of a German identity doesn't exist in the same way it does for the French, English or Americans, much like it doesn't exist fo Candians either.
Maybe that is one reason why I like the country so. I am as much a piece of a large non-identity here as I was in Canada.
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