IOE501 Introduction to Academic Research

Assignment #1
Task 1. State your purpose statement
The purpose of this study will be to explore relationship between religion and nationality in
formation of identity of youth in Bishkek. The study also will explore how youth identify
themselves and do they prioritize religious values over national values while identifying
themselves or vise verse. In addition, what makes them to feel a sense of belonging to Kyrgyz
society. The research study will be for individuals at universities and social medias.
Task 2
Before the collapse of USSR, religion was not at the center of public awareness in Kyrgyzstan.
It certainly appeared as a matter of entirely private concern. For recent years, the situation has
changed and religion is started being recognized as a major factor affecting society and values,
national identities of youth in Kyrgyzstan. Since we cannot see religion or belief apart from the
Kyrgyz history, culture or traditions, it certainly affects our national identity. However, the
recognition of certain religion in new generation of Kyrgyz society is causing social troubles,
discrimination, bullying, cyberbully, division among youth, but these cases should not be
allowed to overshadow unity of the nation. Therefore, research on relationship between religious
and national identity vitally important for Kyrgyz society.
Besides, it is inevitable to be isolated from the globalized world and religion is considered as a
major factor of the globalization. Therefore, factors that cause a sense of belonging need to be
understood and how youth characterize their identity needs to be explored.
For these reasons I stated above, I feel it is significant to do research on this topic.
Task 3
Key concepts: Identity, religious identity, national identity, values
Firstly, the concept “identity” in this research means self-presentation of individuals, more
specifically, experiences, values, memories, relationships that create one’s sense of self or the
way how the person identify himself or herself. In addition, the term identity encompasses many
relationships that a person pursues. For example, religion and nationality.
Next, the concept Religious identity refers to the beliefs of a person. Beliefs can be attitude that
something is the case or an acceptance that something is true and confidence in something.
Moreover, the religious identity includes trust and faith of a person which identifies his lifestyle
and attitude towards the self-presentation.
Furthermore, national identity refers to ethnicity, which a person is characterized or introduced
by the attachment to one's ancestry, tradition, culture and language – and not necessarily to the
state a person was born and lives in.
Finally, the term value refers to importance. It has several indicators such as: showing
importance to his beliefs, culture, traditions, perception and others. In this research we explore
whether youth show importance to their national identity or religious identity, and how it can be
identified.
Task 4. “Religion and National Identification in Europe: Comparing Muslim Youth in
Belgium, England, Germany, the Netherlands, and Sweden.”
Journal of Cross-Cultural Psychology

Fleischmann, F., & Phalet, K. (2018). Religion and National Identification in Europe: Comparing
Muslim Youth in Belgium, England, Germany, the Netherlands, and Sweden. Journal of Cross-
Cultural Psychology, 49(1), 44–61. https://doi.org/10.1177/0022022117741988

Abstract
How inclusive are European national identities of Muslim minorities and how can we explain
cross-cultural variation in inclusiveness? To address these questions, we draw on large-scale
school-based surveys of Muslim minority and non-Muslim majority and other minority youth in
five European countries (Children of Immigrants Longitudinal Survey [CILS]; Belgium,
England, Germany, the Netherlands, and Sweden). Our double comparison of national
identification across groups and countries reveals that national identities are less strongly
endorsed by all minorities compared with majority youth, but national identification is lowest
among Muslims. This descriptive evidence resonates with public concerns about the insufficient
inclusion of immigrant minorities in general, and Muslims in particular, in European national
identities. In addition, significant country variation in group differences in identification suggest
that some national identities are more inclusive of Muslims than others. Taking an intergroup
relations approach to the inclusiveness of national identities for Muslims, we establish that
beyond religious commitment, positive intergroup contact (majority friendship) plays a major
role in explaining differences in national identification in multigroup multilevel mediation
models, whereas experiences of discrimination in school do not contribute to this explanation.
Our comparative findings thus establish contextual variation in the inclusiveness of intergroup
relations and European national identities for Muslim minorities.