Defining Nations and the role of Nationalism (original) (raw)
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NATION, NATIONALISM AND OTHER INTERVENING CONCEPTS-THE TENSION, CONTENTION IN THEIR MEANINGS.pdf
Analyses of nation and nationalism, which are figuratively about “‘belonging’, “‘bordering’, and ‘commitment’” (Brennan, 1995:128), have come in various ways. While some scholars evaluate it from 1980 upwards (Zuelow, 2006), others concentrate on ideas around it across time (Smith, 1994; Brubaker, 1996; Özkirimlii, 2000). Many others try to group theories of nationalism into typologies, for easier understanding (Smith, 1994; Greenfeld, 1995; Hechter, 2000). There are also various theories on its manner of emergence (Anderson, 1983; Handler, 1988; Gellner, 1983; Hroch, 1996; Renan, 1996). While a grouping of the arguments can be elusive, relationships between the individual and the collective to the state are in the centre of most analyses. Issues are also around ways of considering the relation between the self and the nation. This paper discusses nation and nationalism from the multiple perspectives, and other intervening and related concepts, in the bid to expand the scope of understanding, and concludes that the shades of conceptualisations are still bound to continue.
Antonsich, M., Nations and nationalism, in J. Agnew, V. Mamadouh, A. Secor and J. Sharp (eds.) Companion to Political Geography, Oxford: The Wiley-Blackwell (2015).
Nation and nationalism are two referents which continue to play a major role in how politics and social life are organized. The present article discusses their relevance from two distinct perspectives. Traditional accounts of nation and nationalism have largely focused on the questions of ‘when’ and ‘what’ is a nation, i.e. on the historical origins and substance of the nation, including its civic/ethnic character. Starting from the early 1990s, new approaches have instead privileged the ‘how’ and ‘where’ of a nation, i.e. the ways and the sites in which the nation is reproduced and becomes a relevant resource in people’s lives. The article then focuses on one of the most pressing challenges the nation is facing today, namely the increasing ethno-cultural diversity of its population. Final remarks point to the directions where further research is needed and where political geography can offer an important contribution.
What is a 'Nation'? An enquiry into Nationalism and Theory
Mr. Jonathan A. Carradice-French, 2013
Amidst the decay of the Ottoman Empire following its defeat in the Great War, there saw rise to an ideology in the Near East that had radically transformed Europe: nationalism. This ideology has become a significant topic within academic culture in the past two centuries; enquiry into the nature of nation and subsequently how its existence affects both global and local cultures has become important. There are three primary schools of thought on what the essence of a nation is: modernist, perennialist and primordialist; and an assertion by Anthony D. Smith of an ‘ethno-symbolist’ theory as an alternative answer. In exploring these theories on the nature of what a nation is and how it has come to fruition, there is an opening to understanding how both individuals and communities operate.
Nation and Nationalism - A Theoretical Perspective
Journal of Acharaya Narendra Dev Research Institute, 2017
Nationalism has seen resurgence in the past decades. An ideology which has been derided as intellectually shallow by many commentators has shown itself to be capable of arousing passions and inspiring movements which took the post Cold War era by surprise. Nation and nationalism are what W. B. Gallie referred to as essentially contested concepts i.e. nation and therefore nationalism means different things to different people. In the contemporary world there has been a considerable controversy on meaning and nature of nation and nationalism. In this paper it is our aim to analyze the various theoretical perspectives associated with nation and nationalism from its origin to the present day. This survey of the ideological perspectives on nationalism has been undertaken to better understand the phenomena of nationalism.
Ernest Gellner’s Perspectives on Nationalism in Nations and Nationalism
International Journal of Social Science Research and Review
Nationalism has been one of the fuzziest and elephantine concepts which does not belong strictly to any specific social discipline. In theorizing about the issues of nation and nationalism, Ernest Gellner stood apart from the rest of his generation of post-war social scientists. During the period when the subject of nationalism was most disparaged, Gellner produced many remarkable writings on nationalism. This paper will explore the theoretical underpinnings of nationalism developed by Ernest Gellner in his famous book Nations and Nationalism. He is known to have provided a most logical and thorough explanation of the existence of nationalism as a corollary of modernity. Many issues emerge from his perspectives on nationalism. This paper attempts to explore a few of them. Firstly, it seeks explanations for Gellner’s single-minded obsession with the issues of nations and nationalism. Secondly, his ideas about modernity and nationalism are revisited. And finally, the dissection of the...
Canadian Social Science, 2013
In sociological and anthropological view there is a challenge between the paradigms about nature, power and origin of nations and nationalism. The aim of this article is to discuss and describe the source of nations and nationalism. Here there are three main categories of explanation: the Primordialist or the perennialists, the modernist, and the ethno-symbolic. Primordialist and perennialists' emphasis is on nation and nationalism as a natural and biological phenomenon. Modernists think to nation and nationalism as new events. They determine nations as a 'constructed' or 'invented' phenomenon, but ethno symbolism criticizes modernism view of origin of nation and nationalism. Ethnosymbolism seeks to provide some conceptual tools as an alternative approach and research programme for the study of nations and nationalism.
Nation, Nationalism and Inter-Nationalism
This paper analyzes the concepts of a Nation, Nationalism and Internationalism and their evolution. Matter, energy, time and space constituted the study of physics with the story of atoms, molecules and their interactions culminated into chemistry.[1] The story of atoms, organisms called biology began about 3.8 billion years ago. These important aspects shaped the course of history. The building of communities began to take place. The agricultural revolution (12000 years ago), the scientific revolution (500 years ago) affected humans (homo sapiens) and village life.
A STUDY ON NATION AND NATIONALISM IN THE CONTEXT OF NATIONALISM THEORIES
The French Revolution, and the Industrial Revolution that faced with the end of the era of empires formed a new and centralized state organization. This organization which provides for the formation and development of social and political life is called nation-state. The heterogeneous population existing in the empires is an undesirable phenomenon. The heterogeneous population that exists in the empires is an undesirable phenomenon because the concept of nation forms the basis of its legitimacy and sovereignty power. In other words, the source of the legitimacy and sovereignty of states is the people. To ensure a homogeneous population and to keep this population together, nationalist discourses and nationalist ideologies are used. There is no mention of a single national identity or a theory of nationalism because these discourses and ideologies are shaped by different societies, political regimes, time, or events. Therefore, the concepts of nation or nationalism are complex, and they have different types. Within the framework of this study, the definition, origins, and development of the nation are examined with three different nationalist approaches: primordialism, modernity, and ethno-symbolism.