Final answer:
The term referring to the creation and assertion of particular, often place-based identities and communities is identity formation. Benedict Anderson's concept of imagined communities and the role of ethnic identity are key to understanding how people define themselves and their community. Geography, migration, and state-sponsored symbols and rituals all play a part in this complex process.
Step-by-step explanation:
The term that refers to the creation and assertion of highly particular, often place-based, identities and communities is identity formation. Identity formation is influenced by various factors such as beliefs, ethnicity, culture, geography, and language. It is a process through which individuals and groups define themselves, and their place within the world.
Identity can be powerful, so much so that people have died defending it. Political scientist Benedict Anderson described nations as imagined communities, where a nation's identity is constructed through state and media-facilitated rituals and symbols like flags, anthems, and national holidays. This process aids in building a common history and a sense of unity amongst people who likely will never all meet.
Furthermore, the maintenance or erosion of ethnic identity can be affected by migration patterns, geographical isolation, or the influx of new groups in a location, as exemplified by the Cajuns and Creoles of Louisiana.
In the United States, tribal nations such as Native American tribes also use identity formation to define themselves through language and traditional practices, which are essential to their cultural survival. Nationhood itself is debated, with some viewing it as an essential human characteristic, while others see it as a social construct that emerged from political and economic agendas and advanced through technologies like cartography.