National Identity: Integrity and Diversity in Contemporary Europe. The Construal of National Identities within the Luxembourg Context.

We live in an increasingly mobile world. Luxembourg with a foreign population of 43% (over 65% in the capital) and three officially recognized languages, spoken throughout the country, can be viewed as a “natural laboratory.” Luxembourg has experienced a vicisstudinous history. Within a short period of time, Luxembourg has changed from being a country of emigration of becoming a target country for immigration. Initially, the iron and steel works attracted foreign populations. Today, Luxembourg is a major financial centre and host to many European institutions. The size of the country, population mix and closeness of the borders also imply that second culture exposure cannot be avoided. How is national identity construed within this context? In this paper the conceptual framework for a planned empirical study will be presented: Three different resident groups which are differentiated by their length of stay in Luxembourg (native Luxembourgers, Luxembourgers with migration background and Expatriates) will be analysed regarding their construal of national identity along the primordialist – situationalist spectrum. Furthermore, biculturalism will be explored, the hypothesis being that the position on the primordialist – situationalist spectrum will influence the bicultural orientation and the perception of second culture exposure as enrichment or threat. Identity Structure Analysis is used as a theoretical framework.