National Identity Essay

National identity represents one country’s traditions and culture. When we talk about the national identity that includes language, traditions, customs, religions, and its ethnicity. My intention is to show the culture and spirit of nation is influence and reflects in its identity.

At first, I want to talk about identity based on the tradition and culture associated with all aspects of architecture and nationalism. Throughout the architecture history, people can see the culture influrences together with geographical, social and political. And architecture become an important ways to learn and understand about the identity of a culture.

Anthony Smith argues that national identity has the feature of continuity that can transmit and persist through generations. National identity, like other social identities, engenders positive emotions such as pride and love to one’s nation. It is a cultural-political community that has become conscious of its autonomy, unity, and particular interests.

Even though struggling with these different diversities, Myanmar is always been binding with its main religious identity, Buddhism. The people of Myanmar are predominantly Buddhist though there has other minor religions like Christian, Hinduism and Islam. With many religions practiced in Myanmar, there were diverse range of indigenous cultures exist and is manifested in its language and traditions.

Shwedagon pagoda is the one of the most famous pagoda of Myanmar and it is known as the highest and oldest pagoda in the world. The pagoda contains important Buddhist relics including hairs of Gautama Buddha. The pagoda is not only the holiest shrine in Myanmar and it also the symbol of Buddhist nationalism to the lives of the Myanmar people. As the monument symbolizing this religion, we can say that Shwedagon Pagoda as a symbol of a true Burmese national