What do you consider your nationality to be?

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Do you think it’s where you’re born? Or your parentage? Or your grandparentage?

For example, if you were born in Scotland, but your mum was Russian and your dad Venezuelan, what would you class yourself as?

Someone I know says they’re Irish because they have an Irish grandparent, but how far do you got back? AIBU to think only a couple of generations defines your nationality? Or do you think it can be longer?

And how much does it mean to you? I’m generally curious, I live in a place where locals are very fierce about their roots and I am a bit of a mongrol from my heritage and it’s never really bothered me, I just say ‘British’ because I was born and live here.

@MrsHuntGeneNotJeremyObviously of course that’s not the case every time, but I’ve experienced it often so that’s why I’m mentioning it.

• Where do you come from?
• Oh, I’m from Liverpool.
• No, I mean where are you REALLY from?
• … Liverpool? …

It happens way too often and a lot of people don’t think I have the right to consider myself as coming from ‘their’ country just because that’s how I feel. And I like said, this experience is more predominant to those who come from specific cultures or countries. Countries that are often publicly shamed, and not as ‘recognised’ as others.

But do you have triple nationality? Do you hold national identity documents or passports for each of those countries (or would you be able to show up at the embassy and apply for one straight away, without extra paperwork to prove it)? Are you on those countries’ records?

We are in that situation. DH and I, and all of our DC, have three passports each. None of the countries require a loss of nationality to accept another one, but they all consider their nationality to be the only one in the event of a problem.

It does make the question of nationality vs. heritage interesting. DH and I have now spent fairly equal time living in all three places, but the DC have not and identify with two of them only.

It does make the question of nationality vs. heritage interesting. DH and I have now spent fairly equal time living in all three places, but the DC have not and identify with two of them only.

I will eventually have 2 but while I will be x and British national and have their nationality, ethnically and culturally I am still x, but not British.

@SchrodingersImmigrant

It does make the question of nationality vs. heritage interesting. DH and I have now spent fairly equal time living in all three places, but the DC have not and identify with two of them only.

I will eventually have 2 but while I will be x and British national and have their nationality, ethnically and culturally I am still x, but not British.

I can understand that in the case of nationalising based on residency. In my house, the DC were born to their three nationalities and both DH and I naturalised to one of our three. I hold that nationality, but you’re correct, culturally, I’m not.

However if you asked my DC what their nationality is, they’d have different answers, and it wouldn’t necessarily be the country they were born in, or the one where they’ve spent the most time.

I listened to a geopolitical lecture once, thé speaker’s point was that dual / triple etc nationalities make a nonsense of heritage / ethnicity / etc. For him the key question was: which one would you make the ultimate sacrifice for? Which one would you fight for? How would you choose between them? Because that’s what nationalism can ultimately demand of you.

Like some pps I have dual nationality - British and French. The latter is purely administrative for me - I’ve lived in France for 15 years, no plans to leave, and my children are growing up here. My life is here. So I’m French - but not «French» French. It’s an administrative status that makes life here possible.

I’m aware though that, should France and the UK find themselves on opposite sides of a conflict, we may be in a difficult position. It seems so unlikely to happen, but it’s not so long ago that war tore Europe apart.

Interesting point. I don’t think it’s so clear cut as that when that “additional“ nationality is inherited, woven into family identity.

British. Born in Scotland and lived most of my life there but almost as many years in England. I am also Irish though as mum's parents came over to Scotland early 1900s.

@humadum

My ethnicity would read something like this.

British, more precisely- English, more precisely- from one county, more precisely- from one area of the county, more precisely- from two or three villages, more precisely- from one or two families [...]

I really wish I was more ethnically diverse. Someone once suggested I did one of those 'ancestry' tests to see if there were any 'surprises'. However, I don't think I'll bother. I would come up with 100% 'cousins'.

You should definitely do it @humadum - my parents have done them and there were some interesting surprises!

DH and I always have this debate. He was born in Britain to non British parents. He never knows which box to tick on forms. Legally he’s British but ethnically he’s from his parents country. If 2 British people go on holiday to France and their baby is born there the baby isn’t French is it?

Even when I lived in Scotland and didn't really think about my Irish ancestry, I think I still considered myself British first and Scottish second. I would never have voted for Scottish independence. But I might now?

However if you asked my DC what their nationality is, they’d have different answers, and it wouldn’t necessarily be the country they were born in, or the one where they’ve spent the most time.

Hmmm
Yeah. I think in their case all three nationalities are theirs, but what they would think about is the cultural heritage and closeness.
So "I have x, y and z nationality, but I xonsider myslef being y as that's my cultural really" thing

Welsh

@Wannakisstheteacher

DH and I always have this debate. He was born in Britain to non British parents. He never knows which box to tick on forms. Legally he’s British but ethnically he’s from his parents country. If 2 British people go on holiday to France and their baby is born there the baby isn’t French is it?

Then he clicks British nationality and his real ethnicity. Like my child would be British nationality wise (and 2 other😂), but mixed Arab and White other ethnicity wise. Then they would tick mixed in the ethnicity part. But if both parents are white and the child is born here and is British, I think white british applies rather than white other🤔

Ooooh this is actually super interesting and my brain is trying to work these out😂

Although I am technically white British I have always been aware I don’t look English. I can’t tell you what makes someone look English but I know there is a difference.
Going on holiday to a resort type holiday most people are surprised when they hear me speak. Several holidays we have had people say they really didn’t think either Dh or I were from the U.K.

Dd had a bf who had family who were immigrants from Central Europe
The family all got together to celebrate Christmas and when dd returned she said she couldn’t believe that all the women looked like me or like I was related to them.
I had to remind her that my father was from a city not even 100 miles from where this family originated.

Made us wonder whether we were related in some long distance type of way.

Born in London to Jamaican parents and have lived in the Netherlands for over twenty years. I consider myself Saarf London through and through, SE22 to be precise. The Dutch have just furnished me with a ten year residents permit and so no need to go down the naturalisation route for the time being. I’m hoping that in under ten years time the Dutch will have abolished the no dual nationality rules and if they did, I’d go for Dutch citizenship.

English as i was born in England half Scottish going on my heritage as my father was Scottish

I am Welsh 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿

Scottish, but also have an Irish passport, and soon a Dutch one. So maybe European would be more accurate

If you are married/civil partnership, you can have dual nationality in the Netherlands

Technically my ethnicity is..mixed race. Afro-Caribbean and White My nationality is British and I feel very much English.

Born overseas, lived in England most of my life, sound English, my parents are from a different country. I'm white but for some reason people are frequently surprised I speak English/with an English accent

My nationality is dual, birth country and British. I identify as either as the situation suits

British covers it, I suppose blood lines wise I am half Irish and English.

Ancestry DNA has now got so many DNA samples that it is able to narrow down your ancestry to rather precise geographical areas. They were able to say I have early American pioneers/settlers in my ancestry. This is consistent with my research.

Plus they told me the area of Finland my ancestors were from. It was exactly right.

They can also tell you how you are likely related to all the third cousins etc that show up, by finding a common ancestor.

It is quite fun really.

Born scotland. One set of GP Irish. I am British as born in UK.