"For example, each nation is expected to have its own flag and national anthem... The universal code forbade the playing of two anthems for one nation: becoming a "proper" nation would mean selecting a single "official" anthem. A national anthem is a universal sign of particularity. The conventions of the oeuvre demand that the uniqueness of the nation be celebrated in a universally stylized manner. National anthems not only fit a common pattern, but it is part of their symbolism that they are seen to do so. They flag the nation as a nation among nations, as flags themselves do."
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Sources
Michael Billig, Banal Nationalism (1995), pp. 85–86
https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/National_anthem
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