Nations
• A nation is a people who 1.Share demographic and cultural similarities2.Possess a feeling of community (mutually
identify as a group distinct from other groups3.Want to control themselves politically and be
politically separate
Exists because its members want it to exist.
Nations:Demographic/Cultural Similarities
• Demographics: language, race, religion, SES• Common culture• Shared historical experience
Nations:Community
• Perception is critical• Most members of a nation will never know
others but feel a sense of community anyway• “We-Group” – defined by similarity of
members but also in terms of how the members differ from other groups or “They-Groups”
Nations: Desire to be Politically Separate
• The difference between an ethnic group and a nation is that a nation, unlike an ethnic group, desires to be self-governing, or at least autonomous.
• Line between ethnic groups and nations not always well-defined
• Ethnonational group: once the prevailing opinion of the ethnic group perceives it to be distinct politically as well as culturally
Nationalism
• Second aspect of the traditional political orientation
1.Establishes values about what is good vs. bad2.Directs adherents on how to act (patriotism)3.Links together those who adhere to the
ideology4.Distinguishes group from those who are not in
group
Nationalism
• Connects people through1.Sentimentality towards homeland2.Sense of identity and self-esteem through
national identification3.Motivation to help country
Nation is primary political identifier
Nation-States
• Third element in traditional way of defining and organizing world state politically
• Nation-state combines idea of a nation with that of a state
• Where a nation exists within the borders of a currently existing state
Rise of Nationalism
• Modern Idea• Early Nationalism1.Holy Roman Empire (religion/Latin)2.Fragmentation after HRE3.Growth of nationalism intertwined with
growth of state and then nation-state4.Conversion of Anglicanism in England helped
spread nationalism to the masses
Modern Nationalism
• Emerged around 1700s• Growth of emotional attachment to location• Growth of Sovereignty—ex. American
Revolution• Ideas of nation implied equality (liberalism)• Destroyer of empires
Patterns of Nation-State Formation
• Unification Nationalism: easiest form of state building when a strong sense of cultural and political identity exists among a people, and the formation of a nation precedes that of the state.
• Europe—examples where nations came first and later became states
Nation-State Formation
• Scenario Two: State is created first and then has to try to forge a sense of common national identity among the people and then with the people to the state.
• Example: African colonization
Evolution
• Nation building and state building not locked in a strict sequential interaction
• Example: United States
Nationalism in Practice
Myth vs. Reality: Do Nation States really exist?• Most states are not ethnically unified• Many nations are split by more than one
boundary
Patterns of Tension
1. Ideal model of One Nation, One State2. One state, Multiple Nations3. One nation, multiple States4. One Nation, No Sate5. Multiple Nations, Multiples States
One State, One Nation
• About 10% of all countries• Example: The United States (about 99% live in
actual US, no ethno-national groups fighting for autonomy)
• Proud to be an American
One State, Multiple Nations
• 30% of all states have no nation that constitute a majority
• Example: Canada (French-Canadian, English-Canadian, etc)
One Nation, Multiple States
• Departure from the nation-state ideal• Occurs when a nation overlaps border of two
or more states• Many occurred during cold war (example:
Korea, Viet Nam, Germany)• Other examples exist: Serbia and Montenegro
One Nation, No State
• Stateless nation –another patter of misfit between state and nation
• When a nation is a minority in one or more states (aka, peripheral nationalism)
• Example: The Palestinians
Multiple Nations, Multiple States
• Misfit pattern• When several states and nations overlap• Failed state: a country so fragmented that it
cannot be said to exist as a unified political or national entity (example: Afghanistan)
Positive Nationalism
• In philosophical and historical beginning, positive (idealism)
• “Nationalism promotes democracy.”• “Nationalism discourages imperialism.”• “Nationalism allows for economic
development.”• “Nationalism allow for diversity and
experimentation.”
Negative Nationalism
• Growth of militant nationalism• Reluctance to help others• Exclusionism• Xenophobia: fear of others; “they-groups”• Internal oppression• External aggression
Self-Determination=Goal
• May end many of the abuses of ethnic oppression
• More problematic in practice• Tribalism tendency
Negatives of Self-Determination
• Untangling groups• Microstates: countries with tiny populations• International instability• Recognition of new countries?
The Future of Nationalism
• Can be traced back to ancient times but many political scientists see it as particularly relevant in past 500 years.
• WWII showed examples of fascism and imperialism as a result of aggressive nationalism.
• Continued strength of nationalism unquestionable