Edinburgh University is heading a five-year study into national identity, funded by Pounds 1 million from the Leverhulme Trust.
Researchers will be drawn from Aberdeen, Dundee, Lancaster, St Andrews and Salford universities.
David McCrone, of Edinburgh's governance of Scotland forum, said that the present constitutional change was driven by people's changing sense of who they were and how they related to others.
"The missing bit in all of this is England. No one is willing to talk about or do any serious work on what Englishness is," Professor McCrone said.
"People think your national identity is fixed and handed down to you.
That's not true. People can present themselves in particular ways so they can maximise their chances of being accepted," he said.