Nationalism Flashcards
what is nationalism?
understood as a sense of belonging to a group or community that shares a common identity (Gallaher, 2012)
Anderson 2016
suggests that a nation is an ‘imagined community’
members cannot possibly know everyone within them but feel a sense of belonging and connection
nationalism is how this community functions
need regular cultural practice to reproduce and produce the significance of national identities
explain imagined community -
sense of community arises from a shared language, history , traditions and experiences creating an emotional bond among individuals
nations are limited in the sense that they have defined cultural and geographical boundaries
means that whilst nation encompasses certain group of ppl it excludes others
primordial perspective of nationalism
argued that nations and nationalism were an innate part of human nature suggesting that nations have existed since the creation of humans.
National identity was associated with biological traits.
An extreme example of this concept was within the Nazi philosophy of ‘Germanic Arianism’ where an Aryan race supposedly needed protecting from other communities such as Jews and Roma .
= theory now largely rejected
what do modernist perspectives suggest about the emergence of nationalism?
nationalism is a result of capitalism
developed alongside the emergence of the modern state
Nationalism is the result of capitalism, bureaucracy and secularism.
education systems are crucial
form for practical necessity rather than mythical attachment
national identity sometimes serves as a form of ‘false consciousness’ masking real social relations
Ethno-symbolist approach
provides a middle ground insight into the formation of nationalism suggesting that it has historical and ethnic roots rather than biological ones and that they appeared in the modern era
ethno-symbolist approaches don’t say that these ethnic ties or nations etc. are ‘timeless’ or ‘natural’, but discourses around ethnic identity are used as the basis of national claims
post modern perspective
plurality of identity people hold local and regional identities often in place of national ones
Closs - Stevens (2016)
Affective atmospheres of Nationalism
nationality and nationalism often experienced as a feeling
intensified nationalist atmospheres experienced experienced at the London 2012 Olympic Games
nationalism takes hold and becomes infectious
sensorial approach - address the mobilising potential of place
there are many varying tonalities and intensities of nationality - concept of atmospheres better encapsulates how messy nationalism is
sound, music and colours all create and enhanced nationalism at the Olympic Games
what is commonly understood as the goal of nationalism?
establishment of a political community with the same territory of the nation so that the nation can achieve political sovereignty and control over its own affairs (Painter and Jeffery , 2009)
2 broad categories of nationalism
civic nationalism
ethnic nationalism
what is civic nationalism?
state led practices of nation building
suggests a form of patriotism and citizenship that celebrates the existence of a given state
what is ethnic nationalism?
regard ethnicity and ethnic ties as core components of conceptions and experiences of the “nation”.
political process and activity organise around culture
Billig (1995)
Banal Nationalism
The aura of nationhood always operates within the context of power
general idea of the misconception that nationalism exists on the peripheries - overlooks nationalism of the wests nation states
-Crisises in nation states do not create nation states , daily they are reproduced as nations
-For daily reproduction to occur , suggest that a whole complex of beliefs, assumptions and practices take place in a banally(boring) mundane way
-Banal Nationalism – introduced to cover the ideological habits that enable established nations of the west to be reproduced (eg. Hanging the US flag)
Characteristics of Nationalism
-Nationalism is flexible and multi-dimensional and this is part of the reason for its success – can be manifested in a number of different contexts
- almost always based around a territorial claim makes nationalism geographical
Origins of civic nationalism
18th century when Europe modernised states such as France and Britain - wanted to create homogenous societies around capitalist system
envisage nation as a community of equal citizens united in attachment to set of political practices and virtues
what is the issue with considering nations as homogenous?
lack of conceptual regard to race, religion can be problematic when nation assumes cultural homogeneity is desirable refusing to acknowledge difference
oppression of some
Nationalism and territory - explain relationship
often go hand in hand, a nation is bound together through nationalism that acts as a centripetal force.= territorial strength/power
centripetal forces operate nationalism can also operate as a centrifugal force pulling state apart = territorial fragmentation
What are the 2 types of forces that act nations? (reference)
-Centripetal forces = work to pull a state together + community
-Centrifugal force= too many nationalisms operating in same area pull state apart as operating as this force
(Gallaher, 2012)
example of centripetal force on nation
after 9/11 in the United States where Americans connected in a time of crisis demonstrating a strong solidarity for ‘their’ nation
9/11 was seen as an attack of the territory of the USA and thus fostered feelings of nationalism;
example of centrifugal force on nation
The former multi-ethnic state of Yugoslavia contained multiple different forms of nationalism within its boarders leading to tension and conflict that resulted in the fragmentation of the state into six separate countries
in Yugoslavia, strong nationalist sentiment fostered territorial fragmentation.
how does nationalism create exclusion and inclusion?
through cultural frameworks
example of exclusionary nationalism
2024 UK the stabbing of three children in Southport triggered a series of anti-immigration protests and riots fuelled by extreme forms of English nationalism .
Many immigrants were physically and verbally attacked whilst going about their daily lives and were made to feel displaced from the nation-state in which they live.
This strong racist nationalism can lie dormant within populations and arise suddenly due to trigger events making it perhaps a more powerful exclusionary practice than citizenship as it is not always easily identified
example of inclusionary nationalism
Many movements for independence from colonialist rule were dependent on building a strong sense of nationalism within their country.
For example, India gained independence in 1947 due to influences of nationalist leaders such as Gandhi that sought to unite a diverse Indian population in a non-violent movement against colonialist exploitation.
Billig (1995) quote
‘the aura of nationhood always operates within the context of power’
