In an increasingly multicultural world, identity is a word that often surfaces in conversations about belonging, representation, and self-perception. But what exactly is identity, and why does it matter so much? For many of us, especially those with immigrant backgrounds or mixed heritage in the West, identity can be both deeply personal and deeply complex.

Why Identity is so Important?

Identity shapes how we see ourselves and how we are seen by others. It influences our sense of belonging, our confidence, and how we interact with others around us.

When people ask, “Where are you from?”, they’re not just asking for your postcode. They’re often trying to understand your story, your culture, your values, and how you fit into the social landscape.

For those born and raised in one country but descended from another, identity becomes a negotiation between origin and experience. It can affect how others treat you, but also how you answer some of life’s biggest questions:

“Who am I?”, “Where do I belong?”, “What parts of my heritage do I carry forward?”, and “Why do I not feel accepted?”

What Makes Identity So Confusing?

The confusion begins when we realise that identity is multi-layered, and the labels we’re expected to tick on forms don’t always do us justice.

Take someone born in England, with a British passport, a British national/citizen whose parents/ancestry is from Poland. Their experience might not align with any single label.

They might ask:

• Am I English, because I was born here, this is my culture, and I speak the language?
• Am I Polish, because of my ancestry?
• Am I British Polish, because although I was born here, my ancestry is from Poland? or
• Am I British Polish, because I am culturally British but also culturally Polish?
• Am I even Polish, I don’t really relate to Poland and I’ve only been there once?
• Isn’t Poland but a country with borders, perhaps there is another label to describe my ethnicity. How am I different to the Germans or Western Russians?

These aren’t just theoretical questions. They affect how people relate to their family, society, alliance, loyalty, attribution and express themselves. Many second- or third-generation immigrants in the UK have grown up hearing things like, “But where are you really from?” often implying they’re not fully British, no matter how British they feel.

What Are the Categories That Make Up Identity?

Let’s explore terms used to express identity. All these are categorisation of humans. And for some, there is overlap.

Category	What It Means
Race	A broad category based on a population related by perceived physical traits e.g. colour, or some other distinction. (e.g., Black people, White people, Arabs, Aryans, Hispanics)
Ethnicity	A large group of people with a shared culture, language, ancestry, history, set of traditions, etc. For example, Kashmiri, Arab, Kurdish, Persian This is sometimes conflated with race, but this is specific to shared values, for example, within the white race, there are Anglos, Celts, Germanics, Gypsies, etc.
Sub-Ethnic Group	Where an ethnicity is large, we often find, sub-ethnicities or cultures within that ethnicity, for example, within ethnicity Kashmiri, specific community might identify as Mirpuri, Pahari
Lineage/Ancestry	Reference to biological and genealogical roots. One may use ethnicity, nationality, race to describe this.
Nationality	The status of belonging to a particular nation, whether by birth or naturalisation (which is done post-birth by application) He is British or is Italian.
Citizenship	A legal status as recognised by a government as a citizen, with rights, privileges, and duties. He is a French Citizen.
Colour	Skin complexion as a characteristic of a particular people. He is White, Black, Yellow, Brown, Tawny When it is said, person of colour, it means person belonging to a racial or ethnic group that is not white and generally not associated with European descent or not characterised by slight or light pigmentation of the skin i.e. non-white.
Cultural Identity	The customs, food, values, and beliefs you actually practice or feel connected to, could even relate to religion.

A Personal Example

Let me illustrate with my own story.

I was born and raised in England. My father was born here too, but his parents came from Azad Kashmir, and my mother was born in Azad Kashmir. I’ve only visited Pakistan and Azad Kashmir once, and I feel more comfortable in British society than I do in a Pakistani/Kashmiri society.

So what am I?

• I’m British by law and by lifestyle.
• I’m Kashmiri by heritage.
• I’m not Pakistani legally, politically, regionally, or day to day, but I am culturally and emotionally vested.
• I can say I’m English because I was born in England, I was brought up here and I live here, and this is the culture I know best. I love my country and my city.
• But I’m not English ethnically, so I don’t feel comfortable saying, I’m English, since it could refer to the English/Anglo ethnicity but then, am I British either? when my ancestry does not root back to ancient Britons.
• Do I say I am a recent Brit with Kashmiri heritage?
• I’m also Muslim. My religion plays a big role in my values and culture.

It is difficult yes. I mean white people in South Africa, call themselves South African and are proud and why don’t Americans call themselves British instead of British?

Having thought about it, I would say,

My classification

“I am a British citizen, born and raised in England, with Kashmiri heritage from Azad Kashmir. I’m culturally British in many ways, but I also share values and traditions that are Pakistani in nature. My identity is also shaped by being a Muslim — many of my core values come from my faith. My roots and cultural influences reflect a blend of British, Kashmiri, Pakistani, and Islamic elements. And Yorkshire!”

Over to you

So over to you, if you’re struggling to define yourself, you’re not alone. It’s okay to be British, Kashmiri, English, or all three. You don’t need to fit into someone else’s categories. You get to define your own. After all we are all migrants from a single source.