Nations and nationalism (original) (raw)
Related papers
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.
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.
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.
Defining Nations and the role of Nationalism
2019
This essay engages in a discussion about the very first definitions of the term we know as "nation". It tracks back its origins in history and follows its development through the years, going over several renowned authors such as Gellner, Anderson and Smith. This essay also targets "nationalism" and aims to explore what role does it exactly play in the formation of nations. Gellner has defines nationalism using a modernist approach, that it is purely a modern phenomenon without any historic roots. In contrast, Smith sees nationalism through his ethno-symbolic lens and explains that nationalism is an age-old feeling and that, in fact, nations and national identity are formed because of nationalist feelings, and not vice versa.
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.
Forget the `nation`: post-nationalist understanding of nationalism
Ethnic and Racial Studies, 2000
There is a great failure and mental morass concerning theory and political practice of nation and nationalism, including not only traditional approaches but late nationalism studies as well. The reason is a long-standing and widely shared quest for adequate de nition of what does not exist, in reality, as a collective body. Nation is a powerful metaphor which two forms of social groupingspolity (state) and ethnic entity (the people)are ghting to have as their exclusive property. In its latest manifestation, it is an argument for geopolitical engineering and for questioning the legitimacy of weaker collective actors on the part of the winners. There is no sense in de ning states and ethnic groups by the category of a nation. The latter is a ghost word, escalated to a level of meta-category through historic accident and inertia of intellectual prescription. A suggested 'hard scenario' for breaking the methodological impasse is a 'zero option', when both major clients for being a nation will be deprived of a luxury called by that label. The process of dismantling the non-operational category should be started with the intellectual courage to forget the nation as an academic de nition and extend this logic into the domain of politics and everyday discourse.
Imagining Geography: Nation and Nationalism
Journal of International Social Research
Nation and nationalism have always been controversial concepts for researchers. This paper aims to provide some valuable insights into this controversial research domain, in order to create a clearer perspective to understand and study nations and nationalisms. This paper scrutinises a wide range of literature in the nationalism studies. It has identified three main questions in nationalism studies and reviewed the answers to these questions so as to draw a conceptual framework that can be used as an analytical tool to approach and examine nations and nationalisms. The paper begins with exploring the meanings of the terms 'nation' and 'nationalism' in the literature. It, then, seeks the origins of nations and nationalism. Finally, it identifies some existing typologies of nationalism in the literature.