Nationalism Flashcards
Core ideas and principles of nationalism
Nations
Self-determination
Nation-state
Culturalism
Racialism
Internationalism
Nations
Unerlying idea of nationalism is that the nation is the basis of all community
Belonging to a nation means being ‘a people’ who shaee particular characteristics like language, culture, values, traditions, history and religion
French Nationhood
- The French, originally a tribal distinction, distinguish themselves largely through their language
- French nationalsim emerged from its numerous wars with England, involving the re-conquest of territories that made up France. Produced icon of French nationalism, Joan of Arc
- Catholic religion played a major role after the Protestant Reformation
- Napolean promoted French Nationalsim based upon ideas of the French Revolution such as the ideas of ‘liberty, equality, fraterntiy’. Justified French exansionism on the claim that France had the right to spread enlightened ideals of the French Revolution accross Eurpe and to expand its “natural border”. Referred to as chauvinistic nationalism
- Napolean’s invasions of other nations had the effect of spreading the concept of nationalism outside France
American Nationhood
- Forged from the idea of the American Dream
- Anyone from anywhere can succeed if they work hard
- Melting pot of cultures
Self-determination
- Artifical creation of nations often leads to demands for self-determination -> conflicts like the Balklands war after the Soviet Union collapse between the Serbs, Croats, Slovenians, and Bosnians each identified themselves as individual nations
- When applied to individual known as autonomy or independence
- When applied to nations it refers to a desire of self-governance
Reasons as to why every social group should be allowed self-determination
- Un states “people, based on respect for the principle of equal rights and fair equality of opportunity, have the right to freely chose their sovereignty and international political status with no interference
- Professor Buchman - Cessation can take place if a general right to secede if and only if it has suffered certain injustices, for whihc secessions if the appropriate remedy of last resort
- Historical legacies have led to a world without natural borders
Reasons as to why not every social group should be allowed self-determination
- Self-determination aimed at partial or total disruption of the national untiy and the territorial integrity of a country is incompatible withe purposes and principles of the UN
- Territorial integrity and self-determination are at loggerheads as to who has the greater right
- Defining ‘a people’ still has no legitimate and international definition and can therefore be utilised in a variety of ways
Nation-state
A nation of people who rule themselves in their soverign territory. Usually a product of national self-determination i.e. France ruled by the French and Denmark is ruld by the Danes in their georgraphical area. Not always case for instance West and East Germany till 1990 and Yugoslavia
Liberal nationalists
Support the idea of nation-sate. Take a rational approach to nationhood and support idea such as civic nationalism (an individuals duty to observe gicen laws and in turn receive legal privileges). Such ideas born out of Jean-Jaques Roussaeu - the father of libral nationalism
Chauvinictic nationalsim
Belief only some nations can benefit from nation-statehood, whilst others should be part of or colonies of other ‘stronger’ nations. Such ideas can have been influenced by the ideology of thinkers such as Charles Maurras (1868-1952)
Why has there been previously very few nation-states?
An empire was a satus symbol for monarchs and countries - known as imperialism or colonialism. Great pride in disovering ‘new’ countries and adding them to the empire.
‘New’ countries had already existed and had thousands of years of history, culture, governments and economies i.e. India and China. Self-determination of indigenous populations was brutally crushed by the imperialist colonists
Culturalism
Focuses on people’s emotional ties to a country i.e. music, art folklore and language
Who was the german intellectual that wrote about culturalism in the 18th centruy?
John Gottfried von Herder. Came up with term volksgeit or folk spirit that comes out of a nation’s uniques experience of culture and history. According to Gottfried it defined a nation and made it different from one another.
Glorified each nation’s culture equally (not ONE better than the other)
Believed humanity was a single species but had developed different languages, cultures and ways of life because people evolved in different environments. Relations between nations allow understanding of other nationalities and encouraged people to understand the uniqueness of their own nation.
What has culturalism and Gottfried’s ideas unintentionally developed?
Expansionist theory - one nation’s uniques spirit is superior to others -> justifiying imperalism and domination
How does culturalism contrast civic nationalism?
Rather than just following a countries law to become a member, culturalsim argues that a person takes time to become a member i.e. to be British you must absorb British culture and way of life to be a genuine citizen rather than just speak English and follow British values
