Nationality and the barrier effect of the Dutch-German border in the corona crisis. How a crisis affects national identity and the perception of the border

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Issue Date
2021-05-20
Language
en
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Abstract
In this master thesis, the intertwining of national identity, border perception and perceptions about the Corona crisis in the Dutch-German border region is conceptualized, examined, interpreted and analysed. In order to assess the intertwining of these topics, a survey with 115 respondents was conducted. Results from this survey were supplement by passages from two interviews with three interviewees, which provided a better and more comprehensive understanding of the results from the survey. This yielded several conclusions. National identities at the Dutch-German border turned out to be vivid and the border was perceived as being not much of a barrier. While results regarding the worries about the Corona crisis varied, it was found that nearly everyone experienced the crisis as disruptive to both their personal lives and society. Furthermore, it was found that the more serious respondents were towards the crisis, the more they perceived the border as a barrier in daily practice. Furthermore, respondents who perceived the border more as a barrier during the crisis, perceived the border more as a legal-administrative barrier and a barrier in daily practice. It was also found that national identity has been reinforced during the Corona crisis.
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Faculteit der Managementwetenschappen