Bretons have a common identity. The Breton people stick together, and the reason for that is because of their past. They have a need to stand by who they are. Their identity. They stick to each other og trough their common culture and their languange, witch is the thing that seperates them from the rest of France.
Because they have been an opressed people, they have a greater need than others, to show who they are and that they do exist.
Not just that they exist as French. But that they exist as Bretons.
The word ”identity” comes fron the Latin root idem, witch means ”the same”. When you speak about group identity, in this case the Breton common identity, is ”the same”. That the people are ”the same”, or at least have a lot of things in common, that makes them what they are, Bretons.
There are a lot og things that will effekt who you are, Hence its identity. Where you are born, How you where raised, your relationships and you type of personality. To put it very briefly; one´s history. The one you were, before you became what you are now. In Breton most of the people had the same prehistory og their ancestors alike. Thats culture and the felling of being common maintained.I would think that common identity is a felling of being something special; Being a man, a mom, a citezen of Copenhagen or a postman. As a postmanyou automatically attached to other postmen, i the extent of having simular historie, living conditions and daily life. The postmen does´nt have a big need of gathering, not if you compare it to a minority.
As a minority it is important to get recognition, from the nation you live in. It can be by speaking the language you speak, live the way that you choose to live and cultivate the culture that has long held the minority togeather. But if you don´t get to live freely in a country even though you are not a part of the majority, the need of standing out becomes even greater, than it allready was.
Thats why minorities often has a common identity wich is bigger than the majorities. Minorities mostly has dances and music, as a part of their culture, and mostly is bein a part of their culture for a long time.
As an all ordinary Dane, i find it hard to put my self in to the felling of being a part of a common identity and having a shared culture as strong as the Bretons. Denmark has virtually no culture left, which makes us different from the rest of Europe. We´ve certainly do not have a culture as including as the Roma and Bretons. When we visited the Breton school on our schooltrip, was it clear that they felt united, they was´ent just some students who had random talents or skills. They could dance their culturel dance and sing their songs in their original language. There we where in a circle, and had not even one song to sing and play for them, we´ve never felt the need of having theese things with each and other, or show who we are and that we have in common. We are just students, oppesite of the Breton.
Pelle & Katrine
