The Reconstruction of National Identity in UK: The Impact of Brexit on Internal Divisions and Global Positioning

Over the past 40 years since joining the European Union, the UK's national identity has always been accompanied by Euroscepticism. With the combined efforts of various factors, the Brexit referendum has led to a revolutionary change in the UK's national identity. After Brexit, the UK faced domestic separatism and drastic changes internationally. This paper is a preliminary investigation of Britain’s national identity in the context of the decision of the UK to leave the European Union. This paper analyses Brexit in relation to changes in British national identity. It begins by analysing what the concept of “identity” and “national identity” are, and then examine current discourses surrounding Brexit and national identity. It traces the ways in which British national identity has been renegotiated through its internal identity crisis from Scotland and North Ireland, the identity construction with EU relations, and UK’s global role positioning. This analysis provides empirical cases for understanding the identity changes of nation states in the process of globalization and regional integration.