National Identity: Between Self-Perception and External Labels
I was born in Brazil, became a Spanish citizen in 2016, and obtained British citizenship this year. Although I was already fully legal in the UK through my Spanish citizenship (with Settled Status), something during my British citizenship ceremony caught my attention.
When they read out the nationalities of those becoming British citizens, they mentioned “Brazil” and didn’t refer to Spain at all. It felt as though we are ultimately labelled by the country where we were born.
I noticed a similar pattern recently while watching an episode of Border Force UK. An officer referred to “an Argentinian passenger holding an Italian passport.” Again, despite the legal nationality, the person was identified by their country of birth.
It seems that, regardless of legality or how we perceive our own identity, people are often defined by where they were born. I’m not ashamed of being Brazilian—in fact, I’m proud—but I find it interesting that even after spending most of my life outside Brazil, I will likely still be seen as Brazilian for the rest of my life.
What defines us most—our experiences, our papers, our birthplace, or all of them together?