Nationality is a person's legal connection to a country, usually expressed through citizenship. It is different from ethnicity, birthplace, current residence and a personal feeling of belonging.
Nationality can connect people through rights and responsibilities, national institutions and shared experiences. Learning a country's history or taking part in national events may also shape a person's sense of belonging. A common nationality can include many ethnic and religious communities.
Someone can live abroad while keeping their nationality, or live in a country without being its citizen. Being born in a place does not by itself tell us a person's current nationality. Use evidence of citizenship or a clear account of legal status, instead of guessing from a name, accent, food preference or appearance.
National identity also involves how people feel about their connection to a country. People with the same nationality can feel that connection differently, retain different cultural traditions and disagree about public matters. Legal status and personal belonging are related, but one does not fully describe the other.
Worked example: Birthplace, residence and citizenship
Ravi was born in India and was later granted Singapore citizenship. His colleague Ben was born in Singapore, is a British citizen and now lives in Singapore. Both say their neighbourhood feels like home.
- The stated citizenship establishes Ravi's Singaporean nationality and Ben's British nationality. Their birthplaces do not override that information.
- Both live in Singapore and describe local belonging. Residence and that feeling are shared, while their nationalities differ.
- The account does not state either person's ethnicity or religion. We should not fill those gaps using their names or birthplaces.
Watch out for this
Someone's birthplace, accent or favourite national dish proves their nationality.
Look for evidence of citizenship. Discuss birthplace, residence, cultural practices and belonging separately when they help explain the person's identity.
Check your understanding
A Singapore citizen moves overseas for work and regularly cooks food associated with the country where she now lives. What can we conclude?
- Her new food preferences have changed her nationality.
- Living abroad means she can no longer feel connected to Singapore.
- Her residence and daily practices have changed; these facts do not establish a change in citizenship.