One evening in the summer of 1996, an American

professor conducting research in Tallinn, Estonia, was

returning to his apartment. As he walked across the building’s
courtyard, two Russian men yelled to him, asking if he had
matches. The professor ignored them, and as he started up
the stairs, the Russians grabbed him and threw him against
the wall. Words were exchanged and the professor realized
that he was being mistaken for an Estonian. When he
explained that he was an American, the two men apologized.
“We cannot let an Estonian ignore us like that when we speak
Russian”, explained one of the men.
Identity is the set of characteristics by which individuals or
collectives understand themselves and are known to others.