Nationalism
Chapter 17
(Rajeev Bhargava| Political Theory)
POLITICAL SCIENCE
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Nationalism
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Table of Contents
- INTRODUCTION
- THE HISTORY OF AN IDEA
- NON-EUROPEAN NATIONALISM
- THEORETICAL QUESTIONS
- Nationalism and Modern Culture
- Nationalism and Capitalism
- Nationalism: Western or Eastern
- Nationalism: Progressive or Regressive
- ANALYSIS AND CRITIQUE
- CONCLUSION: THE FUTURE OF AN IDEA
INTRODUCTION
- The world is divided into nation-states, with every inch of land claimed based on the principle of nationalism.
- Nationalism may seem natural, ancient, and stable today, but it is a recent phenomenon, less than 200 years old.
- Ancient Greece had city-states, ancient India had republics and kingdoms, and Europe was ruled by monarchs, dynasties, and feudal kingdoms before nationalism emerged.
- The rise of nationalism as a political doctrine is recent, but it has become powerful and universally accepted.
- Questions about nationalism arise: How did it spread? What is its connection to the modern state? How does it relate to culture and capitalism? Is there a difference between Eastern and Western nationalism? Is nationalism progressive or regressive?
- The study of nationalism has not been a distinct field in mainstream political science, and there is little agreement on what nationalism actually means.
- Definitions and theories of nationalism vary depending on one's disciplinary and philosophical orientation.
- Nationalism is the belief that a group of people is united by common history, tradition, language, and culture, and that they should establish a sovereign political community of their own—a nation.
- A nation is a close-knit political community, often homogeneous in culture, language, ethnicity, or race, with a shared history.
- No country today strictly meets the criteria of a nation, but the idea of a nation has been influential globally.
- Nation and state are sometimes used interchangeably, but they are distinct concepts.
- One core belief of nationalism is that every community that considers itself a nation should have a state of its own, leading to the concept of the nation-state.
- Hans Kohn states, "Nationalism demands the Nation-State; the creation of the Nation-State strengthens nationalism."
- Max Weber defines a nation as a community of sentiment that would ideally manifest in a state of its own.
- Nationalism is an ideology or movement aiming to establish or consolidate a nation-state and demands loyalty to the nation as the primary focus for individuals within a state.
- Nationalism requires individuals to pledge loyalty to the nation-state, sometimes even to the extent of dying for it in wars or law enforcement actions.
- The historical study of nationalism clarifies its relationship with the modern state.