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The Danish nation is a concept closely connected to 19th
century ethnic nationalism. It relates to
self-identification rather than to laws. The term's use is relevant chiefly in historical contexts of debate on the status of
Schleswig and Holstein vis-à-vis a
Danish nation-state.
The Danish nation is to be distinguished from the legal concept of nationality, Danish nationals, i.e. persons fully subjected to Danish law.
The Danish nation consists, in theory, of all people the other members see as members.
In practice, it's a way to cover Danes in Denmark and in the formerly Danish
Duchy of Schleswig by the same term.
Excluded are people from the formerly Norwegian Faroe Islands and Greenland.
The term can today also be heard in right-wing and
populist rhetoric, often conveying
anti-Muslim and anti-immigrant sentiments.
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