This entry considers what has defined Wales and the Welsh people over the course of human history, focusing on political relationships within Wales and between Wales and England (or the British state), the fortunes of the Welsh language, and the emergence of distinctive forms of Welsh cultural expression. Ethnic markers of national identity have largely been replaced in recent decades by civic symbols of a more inclusive Welshness.
John Stone, Dennis Rutledge, Anthony D. Smith, Polly S. Rizova and Xiaoshuo Hou