You are either with us or with us: Constructing a Samoan national identity through inclusion at the Samoa Observer

Abstract

Much research examining the mediated construction of national identity is qualitatively focused, exploring limited factors, asserting that exclusion/inclusion is essential for its formation, and based within the host country. This study creates a framework of micronarratives to quantitatively measure the constructed national identity of a small Pacific Island from three geographically distinct news outlets. This study suggests that the mediated creation of a national identity does not necessarily depend upon the exclusion of others and that future research should reconsider the mediated construction of national identity for cultures that celebrate different values.