Nationalism Introduction

Nationalism

• Nationalism has played a significant role in shaping the modern world, with millions of people willing to sacrifice their lives for their country.

What is a Nation?

• A nation is a territorial community of nativity, formed around shared traditions and a spatially situated past.
• A nation is a community of kinship, bounded, territorial, and temporally deep.
• A nation is unique in that its people see themselves as part of a special political community, with shared political goals, such as seeking independence or maintaining sovereignty.

Defining Nationalism

• Nationalism is an ideology and social movement that emerged at the end of the 18th century.
• The history of Europe from 1789 to 1945 is synonymous with the growth and development of modern nations.

Types of Nationalism

• There is no uniform 'nationalism', and historians have categorized nationalisms into two broad and dichotomous categories: ethnic or cultural nationalism and civic or political nationalism.

Ethnic or Cultural Nationalism

• Sees nations as deeply rooted in their environment and language.
• Focused on preserving language and culture.
• Can lead to narrow-minded nationalism and blur the lines between nations and races.

Civic or Political Nationalism

• Emphasizes allegiance based on citizenship rather than cultural ties.
• Originated from Rousseau's concept of popular sovereignty, promoting democracy and national self-governance.
• Prioritizes citizenship over ethnicity, often containing diverse cultural groups.

Influences on Nationalism

• Liberal nationalism advocates for nations founded on principles of democracy and self-determination, emphasizing universal human rights over national sovereignty.
• Conservative nationalism focuses on social unity and patriotism, promoting nostalgia and traditional ways.
• Gandhi's nationalism sought a comprehensive emancipation from external oppression and internal moral degradation, grounded in universal principles of compassion and non-violence.

Notable Thinkers on Nationalism

• Mao Zedong's nationalism emphasized anti-imperialist and anti-feudal sentiments, shaped by China's history of oppression by foreign powers.
• Frantz Fanon advocated for the development of a national culture as a means of reclaiming autonomy and dignity for colonized peoples.
• Amilcar Cabral believed in anti-colonial nationalism, supporting the idea that colonized peoples should unite and fight for their independence from colonial powers.

Challenges to Nationalism

• Globalization erodes traditional national boundaries, fostering interconnectedness and challenging the notion of exclusive national identities.
• Multiculturalism, fueled by immigration, poses a significant challenge to the homogeneity often associated with nationalist ideologies.
• The rise of supranational entities like the European Union undermines the sovereignty of individual nations, raising questions about the efficacy and relevance of purely nationalist agendas in an increasingly interconnected world.