The document discusses definitions of key concepts related to national identity such as nation state, nation, and nationalism. It then summarizes three approaches to understanding the emergence of nations: 1. Gellner argues nations came about through modernization and industrialization which required a common culture and language imposed through mass education. 2. Anderson sees nations as imagined communities based on shared literacy within a process of modernization. 3. Smith argues nations emerged from pre-existing ethnic communities that acquired additional elements like shared territory and culture. It also discusses how culture and identities are shaped by shared languages, beliefs, arts, and religions which can create narratives and rituals defining identities.