Friday, February 10, 2012

National Histories By Nolan DeBord 

The concept that I felt was most interesting from chapter 4 would be national history. National history is a body of knowledge based on past events that influenced a country’s development. What is interesting about national histories is the fact that our nation teaches this concept through all levels of education. History is what unites a nation and defines it. Our national history is very strong in this sense. We take pride in our accomplishments that have led us to where we are now. “National history gives us a shared notion of who we are and solidifies our sense of nationhood.” This is and quotation taken directly from our book Intercultural Communication in Contexts. I believe that the United States is an excellent example of a nation that has taken our national history not only seriously, but also used it as the fuel to define us and our freedom.
A perfect example from our history as a nation would be the American Revolutionary War. Before ever becoming the United States we were 13 colonies of the British Empire. We were immigrants ruled from an empire across the ocean. Living on an entirely different continent while being taxed from a King that we could not see led to an uprising that changed history forever. Quickly, the colonies formed the Continental Congress in total defiance of the British Empire. Soon, the British gave up all hopes of reason and declared us traitors to the King. The war began in 1775 and ended in 1783. As a result of this war we were declared a free nation. This was the first mile stone in the making of our nation and possibly the most important part of our national history.

My new knowledge on national histories has changed my mind set in regards to the culture of others. Our sense of pride that is built from accomplishment and overcoming odds can be the same pride that other nations hold valuable as well. I am certain that the U.S. is not the only country that feels they have overcome all odds to be where they are today. Knowledge can enlighten people on other struggles and help people understand why certain nations do things the way they do. References: Martin, J.N., & Nakayam, T.K. (2010). Intercultural Communication in Contexts (5th Edition ed). New York, NY: McGraww-Hill.
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2 comments:

  1. Andrew SteinhoffFebruary 12, 2012 at 1:34 PM

    The American Revolution was, as you said, a perfect example. What could be better than going from a society of farmers and slaves, to one of the greatest nations in history.

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  2. SJ BakerFebruary 21, 2012 at 4:15 PM

    I agree with your comments from the third paragraph about the importance of national histories in other cultures. I think it helps explain why we sometimes have such strong conflicts across national boundaries.

    For future blogs, use the APA format of (Authors(s), Year) at the end of the sentence. You should definitely cite Martin & Nakayama like you did in the first paragraph. Think about how you can expand on the last sentence of paragraph 2 just a bit. How does the Revolutionary War influence the U.S. as a culture? Also think about how you can use more photos,and videos to expand these points.

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