E - Nation As An Idea Flashcards
What are the two schools of thought regarding nations?
Primordialists = believe nations have existed since early human history
Historicists/Modernist = analyse nationalism and nations as products of modernity
How does Ernest gellner view the emergence of nations?
Believed that nations appeared due to the print press which enforced a standard language and provided access to uniform information across wide geographical areas
How did max Weber define social reality?
As essentially symbolic cultural where individuals and groups in a social system create mental representations of. Each other’s actions over time, leading to ready-made roles
How the role individuals unconsciously play in social settings?
Individuals unconsciously wear the mask or role fashioned for them by others to avoid conflicts in social settings
What happens when these roles are made available to other members of society?
They become institutionalized, become part of the social fabric, and get embedded in society
Does reality exist independently?
No it is a socially constructed concept
What concept did Benedict Anderson apply to nationalism
That nationality is cultural artifact created by culture itself
How does Anderson view nationalism?
As a creative process that invents nations even where they do not exist materially. It’s not just the awakening of nations to self-consciousness
What makes a nation exist according to Anderson?
When a significant number of people in a community consider themselves to form a nation or behave as if they do, even if they don’t have everyday interactions
Why is the nation considered an imagined community?
The nation is an imagined community because it’s members especially in large communities may never know or meet most of their fellow members yet they hold a mental image of their affinity
How can a nation be defined in a anthropological spirit?
A nation is defined as an imaged political community, inherently limited and sovereign. It exists both in the minds of its members and in the outside world
What is the nature of social reality?
It is intrinsically cultural and symbolic, created by the subjective meanings and perceptions of social actors
The role of society in human existence?
Society is a necessary crollary of human existence, as human lack built-in models for behaviour in groups. Social integration and cooperation are essential for survival, and culture provides the symbolic order necessary for this
What is the human equivalent of animal intincts?
Culture serving as an indispensable condition for the survival of the human species and individuals. It provides an image of social order
When did nationalism emerge and where did it first appear according to greenfeld?
In early modern times and according to greenfeld it first appear ed in England
