NATIONALITY  , a somewhat vague

term, used strictly in international law (see INTERNATIONAL LAW, PRIVATE) for the status of membership in a nation or state (for the conditions of which see STATE, ALLEGIANCE, NATURALIZATION, ALIEN), ana in a more extended sense in political discussion to denote an aggregation of persons claiming to represent a racial, territorial or some other bond of unity, though not necessarily recognized as an independent political entity . In this latter sense the word has often been applied to such people as the Irish, the Armenians and the Czechs . A " nationality " in this connexion represents a common feeling and an organized claim rather than distinct attributes which can be comprised in a strict definition .