Sociology of the nation Flashcards
what is the traditionalist/primordialist school’s definition of a nation?
nations are naturally developed, culturally homogenous social entities that are built on ethnies
each nation is treated as an organic whole and it is supposed to have its distinct character of allegedly immutable characteristics passed from generation to generation
what is the modernist/constructivist school’s definition of a nation
a purely theoretical/ideological construct
nations are abstract categories with no grounding in reality
that nations are constructed to justify the rise of nation states
ethnic cultural nations
Culturally and ethnically homogenous
Membership based on birth, culture, language, religion, history , “homeland”
political civic nations
Developed as a community of citizens
Membership in the nation is based solely on citizenship
Membership is voluntary
Nation understood as a multicultural/polyethnic, pluralistic entity; ethnic nationalities exist but civic society is the focus of nationhood
shared political rights, freedoms and laws
History much less emphasized
multinational nations
Different conceptions of citizenship
Post-national citizenship - being “just Canadian” rather than English Canadian, French Canadian, Indigenous or Quebecois
Multicultural citizenship - being French-Canadian, (hyphenated identity)
polyethnic nation
nation consisting of many different ethnicities
What is the German Model of the formation of national identity?
formed on the basis of shared culture and can lead to state seeking
what is the french approach of the formation of a national identity?
identity as a political project, based on political principles
centralizing and assimilationist
state driven, state just forms; a central nation dividing into multiple
what did michael billing coin, what did it involve?
banal nationalism
claims that nationalism is a large part of our everyday life, it is always present, and we don not realize it
what did bennedict anderson coin? what did it involve?
imagined community
people imagine themselves as apart of a nation
like being canadian, the awareness is enough to feel tied
