Nationality
The nationality describes a person belongs to a nation or a people.
The notion of a "nation" is in this case used for different concepts: on the one hand, it is in German for the legal assignment of a person to politically defined Nations within the meaning of citizenship. On the other hand, describes the nationality and belonging to an ethnically defined "people" on the concept of ethnicity, so that the use ultimately depends on the political setting of the user.
Nationality as an ethnic association
Most often, the membership will be referred to a nation in the ethnic sense in the German language with nationality. This corresponds to the practice of post-communist states to make official documents of its citizens Nationality entries with the specified nationality the person concerned can officially mark it as belonging to a national minority.
Example: Official documents of a citizen of Russia can contain the nationality entry " German "; in the GDR was possible the entry " Sorb ".
Such official fixations of nationality are now uncommon in Western countries. Children have from the perspective of supporters of the hypothesis of descent long live the nationality of their parents, as are virtually " inherited" according to this view nationalities. According to this view, no one who has no German ancestors may be German.
According to the assimilation hypothesis is a change of belonging to an ethnic group is very possible. According to Michael Maes et al my followers of the assimilation hypothesis in Germany mostly ethnically German one could be by the command of the German language, the non-adherence to Islam, the length of residence in Germany and a German spouse. This understanding is strongly correlated with the view, nations are largely cultural nations, and the commitment to the country's culture make someone to members of the nation concerned.
Nationality as an assignment to a state
The term "nationality" is not only used to assign people of an ethnic group, but also to denote membership in a defined as a "nation" ( nation-) state. In this use of the term nationality is synonymous with citizenship.
Term use in countries without ethnic majority
In countries like the U.S. and Canada 's own country is also referred to in spite of the different ethnic origins of its inhabitants and the lack of a majority ethnic group as a nation, and it is therefore spoken of American or Canadian nationality. From the perspective of Americans and Canadians is the nation ( and consequently also the nationality), the result of political and constitutional developments. With respect to Germany Dolf Sternberger calls this understanding of the term "nation" as a constitutional patriotism.
Advocate of ethnic nationality concepts refer to such nations as a multi-ethnic states and assume that the use of language in these countries pursue the aim to reduce culturally based conflicts and tensions by invent a nation.
It is disputed whether by the long period of living together and by the use of a common language in the course of time, new ethnic groups (in this case ethnic Americans or ethnic Canadians ) and thus also certain ethnic nationalities arise.