MLM 63 - Nation-Branding and National Identity*

Faculty
Maj Lervad Grasten

Course Coordinator
Maj Lervad Grasten

Prerequisite/progression of the course

No special requirements (except proficiency in English)

Course content, structure and teaching

In the context of globalization, the nation-state is increasingly seen as a brandable or marketable good, and national identity has become a competitive factor. Today, branding techniques are applied to whole nations rather than to mere product brands, and governments use branding to differentiate their nations in the global marketplace. In this course we will look into the concept of nation-branding (and related concepts such as place-branding, public diplomacy and soft power), the evolution of nation-branding and why countries engage in nation-branding. Though the marketing and communication aspects of nation-branding will not be neglected, the main focus of the course will be on the national constructions of identity in the branding process, and how the nation brand is being built both inside and outside the nation (the internal collective self-identification and the external identity projection). Based on a limited number of cases (mainly CEE countries) the course will look into national identity-building narratives and especially the conjunction of nation-branding and nation-building. The theoretical approach of the course will mainly be Nationalism Studies (B. Anderson, A. D. Smith etc.), and the influence of branding on nationalism will be discussed during the course (e.g. the ‘emergent global nationalism’, cf. L. Sklair).

The course will be a combination of lectures and class discussions

Learning Objectives

The aim of the course is to develop a critical understanding of nation-branding, the rise of image management and its implications for the constructions of national identities and national space. At the end of the course the student should possess an analytical understanding of nation-branding and related concepts and should demonstrate an ability to examine nation-branding within the framework of the globalization/localization processes. The student should also be able to compare and discuss different theories about the Nation, and the relation between national identity constructions and nation-branding. The student should be able to identify the most important aspects of the relation between image and identity (xeno- versus autostereotypes) within the context of branding the nation and demonstrate the ability to develop an array of theoretically and partly empirically founded strategies for dealing with nation-branding today.

Type of examination, exam aids and assessment

Individual written home assignment (8-10 standard pages).

Recommended literature

Anholt, Simon: “Public diplomacy and place branding: where’s the link?” IN: Place branding and public diplomacy, No. 2, pp. 271-275 (2006).
Aronczyk, Melissa: ““Living the Brand”: Nationality, Globality and the Identity Strategies of Nation Branding Consultants” IN: International Journal of Communication, No. 2, pp. 41-65 (2008).
Fan, Y.: “Nation branding: what is being branded?” IN: Journal of Vacation Marketing, Vol. 12, No. 1, pp. 5-14 (2006).
Hall, Derek. “Branding and national identity: The case of Central and Eastern Europe” IN: Morgan N.; Pritchard, A. & R. Pride (Eds.): Destination Branding: Creating the Unique Destination Proposition. Oxford, UK: Butterworth-Heinemann (2004).
Hobsbawm E. & T. Ranger. The Invention of Tradition. Cambridge: University Press (2003).
Olins, Wally: “Making a national brand” IN: Jan Melissen (ed.): The new public diplomacy: Soft power in international relations. New York: Basingstoke (2005), pp. 169-179.
Olins, Wally. “Branding the Nation – the historical context” IN: Brand Management, Vol. 9, No. 4-5, pp. 241-248 (2002).
Smith, Anthony D. National Identity. London & New York: Penguin Books (1991)
Van Ham, Peter. “The rise of the brand state: The postmodern politics of image and reputation’ IN: Foreign Affairs, Vol. 80, No. 5, pp. 2-6 (2001)
Van Ham, Peter. “Branding Territory: Inside the Wonderful Worlds of PR and IR Theory” IN: Millenium, Vol 31, No. 2, pp. 249-269 (2002).