Constructing politicized national identities: identity positioning by US, China, and Philippine opinion editorials on the Scarborough Shoal conflict

• Main Authors: Montiel, Cristina J, Dela Paz, Erwine
• Format: text
• Published: Archīum Ateneo 2019
• Subjects: Politicized national identity; text mining; positioning theory; opinion editorials; international relations; Scarborough Shoal; Psychology
• Online Access: https://archium.ateneo.edu/psychology-faculty-pubs/100; https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/14608944.2019.1634031?casa_token=U-vKAYXQ8gcAAAAA%3AfLgrPT-H7RJpehlZpCmjpYqgrUMOV0eoyEUB2Nn5QiHIhO_hAHGGrlGe-E_M6KyO38XmYyTImvFsXg
• Institution: Ateneo De Manila University

How do newspapers’ opinion editorials produce national identities of nations involved in an international conflict? This study examines op-eds in the US, China and the Philippines, which discuss the Scarborough Shoal conflict. Data processing includes word-association calculations and positioning analysis. Results demonstrate self-vested national identities. China-based articles create national identities around the goal of preserving political clout in the Asia-Pacific. US op-eds invert China’s goal and generate identities asserting US regional power. Philippine commentaries portray China as a bully and the US as a defender. Results are discussed in light of the link between politicized national identities and global clashes.