Nationalism: The Traditional Orientation Chapter 4 Nationalism: The Traditional Orientation

Understanding Nations, Nation-States, and Nationalism

Nations People sharing common characteristics: Race, culture, language, ethnicity, and so on Sense of community: Recognition/belief in "connectedness" Desire for autonomous self-governance: To be politically separate

Nation-States In theory, the combination of state and nation, reflecting a nation's desire to have its own state and to govern itself independently

Inconsistencies Many states contain multiple nations within their borders Many nations overlap one or more state boundaries

Nationalism A sense of essential political identity that dictates action in concert

Unifies state, nation, and nation-state Transformation of identity toward nationalism Sentimental attachment to homeland Sense of identity and self-esteem based on nationalism Motivated to help country

The Evolution of Nationalism

The Rise of Nationalism

Development of secular monarchs

Creation of nationalistic popular culture Implication of equality (Thomas Paine) Concept of popular sovereignty, from Switzerland and England to American and French Revolutions Welcomed as a destroyer of empires (Woodrow Wilson)

The Predicted Demise of Nationalism After World War II Experiences of destructive power of nationalism (Fascism) Development of nuclear weapons Emphasis on free trade and economic interdependence

Persistent Nationalism

Anti-imperialism: Independence movement initially in less developed countries Contemporary European nationalism in Czechoslovakia, Yugoslavia, reunification of West and East Germany, and FSRs; growing resistance to EU (One might compare the emergence of FSRs to a form of anti-imperialism against centuries of Russian expansionism and domination)

Independence movements Newly independent countries: East Timor, Eritrea, Namibia, and Palau Nationalist stirrings: Great Britain–Scottish, Irish, Welsh; Spain–Basques and Catalans

Limitations Growing world consciousness and interdependence, waning nationalism

Nationalism: Builder and Destroyer

The Beneficent Face of Nationalism Promotes democracy (self-determination, popular sovereignty), but can be manipulated by demagogues Encourages self-determination Discourages imperialism: Serves as a powerful deterrent to outside rule but can encourage expansionist tendencies Promotes economic development Protects diversity and experimentation: This seems true when considering interactions between nation-states, but it can also suppress diversity within a state

The Troubled Face of Nationalism

Ethnonational Conflicts How we relate to others Feelings of difference Insularity Feelings of superiority Xenophobia and the oppression of others

Lack of fit between nations and states

Multinational states: States with more than one nation

Multistate nationalities: Nations divided among states Nation is a minority in one or more states and lacks a state of its own--stateless nation Nation-state has nationals in adjacent states--irredentism Nation is divided between two states and constitutes a majority in each

Nationalism and the Future

Self-Determination as a Goal Help end ethnic oppression Problems Untangling groups Dissolution of existing states Microstates "Negative sovereignty" invites intervention by more powerful Is there a right to secede? Applying self-determination principles is difficult in a complex world

Nationalism: Will the Curtain Fall? Nationalism may thrive Nationalism may evolve toward internationalism, but at a slow pace at best--no immediate prospects for change Nationalism is in decline and nation-states are past their peak Nationalism is collapsing rapidly