Week 2 - States and "Nations" Flashcards
State
a political organization that (successfully) lays claim to a monopoly of legitimate coercive force over people and territory.
Max Weber Definition of State
form of human community that (successfully) lays claim to the monopoly of legitimate physical violence within a particular territory.
Political Organization
All the political institutions within an individual country; Government, courts, bureaucracy, military, police, etc.
Monopoly
Sole ownership, no other legitimate coercive force
Sovereignty (Legal Concept)
The exclusive legal authority of a government over its population and territory, independent of external authorities.
Nation
A “nation” is a group of people who share a sense of belonging and solidarity deriving from shared language, religion, ancestry, and common history typically posited as common bonds.
Nationalism
A principle which holds that the political and national unit should be congruent.
Fact
For 99% of Mankinds history, people have lived in groups of 50 or less, which engaged in hunting and gathering.
This changed in 10,000 BC when plants and animals were domesticated.
James Scott: Against The Grain
Researched Humans that were getting settled in.
- Great advancement in civilization, but showed life is harder and worse for the people than it was in the beginning of civilization.
- More coercion
- Rice and Grain = Key Development of a state
Age of Empire
Subjects within an empire associated themselves within their “local world” (tribe, clan, village) instead of the broader community.
When was the emergence of Modern States?
The 17th Century
Formation of Modern States: (Hobsbawm)
France (1789): Essential to the concept of France, although 50% did not speak French, and only 12-13% spoke it correctly
Germany: Language was the basis of claims to “nationhood”, although only a small minority spoke for evryday purposes, rest spoke mutually incomprehensible idioms
Italy (1860): When unification occured, only 2.5% spoke language for everyday purposes
Global Diffusion of Nationalism
- Nationalism was born in Europe, diffused globally by colonialism
- European states harvested different African parts
- South Sudan was the youngest state (2011)
Nation Vs. State (TEST Q)
A state is a place with a government that uses a monopoly of legitmate coercive force over a people and territory, while a nation is a group of people who share the same sense of belonging and share similar attributes like ancestry, history, language, etc.
Very often, states do not conform to the imagined community of the “nation” (and vice-versa).
- Extreme Heterogeneity: States are much heterogeneous than a nation, they don’t have as much unity.
Ex. Nigeria has over 250 Ethic and Linguistic groups
- Stateless Nations:
An ethnic, cultural, or national group that does not possess its own state or sovereign territory.
Ex. Kurs: ~ 30 million in Turkey, Iran, Iraq, & Syria
Nation as “Imagined Community”
It is imagined because even the members of the smallest nation will never know most of their members, yet in the minds of each lives the image of their communion (connection among individuals)
* Seen as a comradeship regardless of inequality and exploitation that may prevail
Primordialism Views
- National and ethnic identity are natural phenomena
- People are born into these identities
- Tensions between ethnic groups are more or less inevitable.
Instrumentalism Views
- National and ethnic identity are fostered to serve the powerful
- Politicians and interest groups play on identity for their benefit
- Ethnicity is exploited in pursuit of political ends
Constructivism Views
(More Complex)
- Identities are neither primordial or instrumental
- They are constructed historically through human interaction
- Identities are not fixed or singular. They are multiple and overlapping
- Different Identities are activated and reshaped in different contexts
What are the key features and functions of the modern state?
Sovereignty:
* The modern state has authority over its territory and the people within it
Internal: Control over domestic affairs
External: Independance from foreign interference
Key Features:
* Border
* Territory
* Sovereign Government
* Monopoly of Legitimate Coercive Force over people and territory
Key Functions:
* Law and Order
* Social Welfare
* Economic Management
* Governance
In what ways has nationalism been a negative or damaging force in international affairs? What positive roles does it also arguably play?
Negative:
- Conflict and War
- Hegemony (superiority over others, dominant ideologies)
- Isolation (Economic, us vs. them mentality)
Positive:
- Fosters National Unity
- Anti-Colonialism
- Promotes Self-Determination (choosing one’s own govt and political future)
- Cultural Preservation
Genocide
Genocide is eliminating a specific group, whether its a nation or ethnic group with the purpose of getting rid of it as a whole.
Ethnic Cleansing
Forcefully removing an ethnic group from a specific place, it does not always involve killing or violence.
Historical Example of Nationalism’s Connection To Genocide and Ethnic Cleansing
A well known example of these historically would be the holocaust. The Nazi’s wanted to “cleanse” their area of the Jewish people. They did this with violent means. It was a genocide, which is a form of ethnic cleansing. The Nazi’s viewed themselves as a seperate nation from the Jewish people. In order to do this they commited a mass genocide.
Elements of A “Fragile” or “Resilient” State
Social and Economic Indicators:
- Refugees
- Uneven Economic Development
- Group Grievance
- Poverty and Economic Decline
Political and Military Indicators:
- State Legitimacy (Corruption)
- Human Rights & Rule of Law
- External Intervention
Are states inherently problematic? Do they have anything good to offer?
No, they are not.
They play a central role in organizing society, governance, and international relations. It is about how they are structured, governed, and how they interact with citizens and international community rather than being inherantly problematic.
Negative:
* Corruption
* Marginalization
* Infringement on Personal Freedoms
* Economic Inequality
* Conflicts
Positive:
* Order and Stability
* Protection and Rights
* Cooperation
* National Unity
How would you characterize Canadian nationalism, both today and historically? Is it “ethnic”? Is it “civic”? What are the alternatives to national identity when considering political solidarities?
Canada is a civic nationalism.
Civic Nationalism: Based on shared values, democratic principles, legal rights
Ex. Charter of Rights and Freedoms
Ethnic Nationalism: Based on Ethnicity, Linguistic identity, and Cultural Homogeneity
Ex. Quebec - Ethnic Nationalism - Cultural and Linguistic Identity
Self-Determination: Myanmar Follows Global Pattern In How Ethnic Cleansing Begins - New York Times Reading
The idea that a nation has the right to choose its own political status.
* Makes it an enemy of the freedoms it is intended to protect, It chooses who belongs in that nation and Who Is an Outsider
* Creates Mass Violence and even genocide for against the people who are considered outsiders
The principle of national self-determination is a key element of the international system. According to Taub, a commitment to this principle increases the likelihood of conflict and violence. Why does she think this? Do you agree or disagree? Is there a way out of this conundrum?
According to Taub, the idea that a people have the right to freely determine their political status and pursue their economic, social, and cultural development—can increase the likelihood of conflict and violence.
- Conflicting Claims to Territory (Palestine Vs. Israel)
- Ethnic and identity Conflicts - A dominant one will always emerge, marginalizing the remaining ones.
- Threats to State Sovereignty
(A group seeks to form an independent state)
There is merit to Taub;s argment that national self-determination increases the likelihood of conflict and violence, but the principle of self-determination is important for ensuring that peoples have the right to govern themselves and pursue their own interests.
