User:Mabandalone/Drafts/Nationalism

Nationalism is an ideological movement for attaining and maintaining the autonomy, unity and identity of a nation. The term nationalism can also be used to describe a general national loyalty and advocacy for national interests, in a similar way to more general concepts like patriotism, in-group favoritism and political ethnicity, and is sometimes conceived of as a more 'negative' counterpart to patriotism, as in George Orwell's famous formulation. However nationalism is a distinct concept from patriotism and in-group favoritism because it is more overtly political and closely connected with the institution of the nation-state.

• Make it clear that it's not just primordialism vs modernism here

From a political or sociological perspective, there are three main perspectives on the origins and basis of nationalism. The original one is the primordialist or nationalist perspective that describes nationalism as a reflection of the ancient and perceived nations that must be 'awakened'. Nationalist perspectives are associated with nationalist political activism and are not a widely held scholarly view. In the modern period this has been conceptualised as an evolutionary tendency of humans to organize into distinct groupings based on an affinity of birth.

Reacting to this, in the 20th century a modernist perspective arose that describes nationalism as a recent phenomenon that requires the structural conditions of modern society in order to exist.. Modernism describes natoipnalism as a fundamentally new social movement, that while it uses preexisting ethnic identities and myths was raw material, uses them arbitrarily and does not depend on them.

Also you can use Smith's writing of modernism reacting to perennialism - "The modernist paradigm ... emerged in opposition to the older nationalist, or perennialist, paradigms" (Smith 1998: 145)

Thirdly, a variety of perspectives, named 'perennialist', hold that nationalism is the modern instantiation of political ethnicity, which has been present throughout human history. Perenniallists argue that nations have always existed, and that something like nationalism has also always existed, though with different strenghts throughout time. Modern nationalism, they argue, is the transformation of older ideas of nations with the political conditions of modernity (freedom, equality).

An alternative perspective to both of these lineages comes out of engaged theory, and argues that while the form of nationalism is modern, the content and subjective reach of nationalism depends upon 'primordial' sentiments.

There are various definitions for what constitutes a nation, however, which leads to several different strands of nationalism. It can be a belief that citizenship in a state should be limited to one ethnic, cultural, religious, or identity group, or that multinationality in a single state should necessarily comprise the right to express and exercise national identity even by minorities. The adoption of national identity in terms of historical development has commonly been the result of a response by influential groups unsatisfied with traditional identities due to inconsistency between their defined social order and the experience of that social order by its members, resulting in a situation of anomie that nationalists seek to resolve. This anomie results in a society or societies reinterpreting identity, retaining elements that are deemed acceptable and removing elements deemed unacceptable, in order to create a unified community. This development may be the result of internal structural issues or the result of resentment by an existing group or groups towards other communities, especially foreign powers that are or are deemed to be controlling them.

National flags, national anthems and other symbols of national identity are commonly considered highly important symbols of the national community.

Possible other stuff for intro

Nationalism as a modern political ideology employs several motifs that have been present throughout human history, such as an identification with an ethnic, cultural or territorial group, and a desire for autonomy for that group. However nationalism asserts the primacy of the national principle, "which holds that the political and the national unit should be congruent." (Gellner), over other competing political principles.

The object of nationalism is the [nation]. All authors agree that 'men have always lived in 'groups.138 Usually these groups persisted over time. One important factor in their persistence was the loyalty men felt for these groups, and the fact that they identified with them' (Gellner). However authors differ on whether nations, i.e large scale communities, united by some common factor like language, conscious of themselves and their political interests as such, have existed throughout history, or whether they are political constructs, created by nationalist movements in the modern period.

Terminology and definitions

The word nationalism arose more recently than the word nation, which in its original Latin form natio and in derived languages was used to refer, before the modern period in Europe, both to 'the aggregate of the inhabitants of a province, a country or a kingdom', and 'a foreigner' as well as to collective identities that could include shared history, law, language, political rights, religion and traditions, in a sense more akin to the modern conception. Nationalism began to be used in connection with the development of modern political ideologies of national political autonomy and self-determination from the late 18th century onwards, with early examples of its use being in German by Johann Gottfried Herder and in French by Augustin Barruel in the last years of that century. In English the term dates from 1844.

• COuld add various competing definitions, e.g. Kedourie "that humanity is naturally divided into nations, that nations are known by certain characteristics which can be ascertained, and that the only legitimate type of government is national self-government" (found in Calhouns 'nationality and ethnicity'
• Also there's Gellner's (Hobsbawm also uses this) and Breuilly's

However in common usage, nationalism also means loyalty to and pride in one's nation.

History

• Add info about nationalism before 18th century england (where the article begins) (eg from Kohn and Gat), eg declaration of arbroath
• Add info about rise of nationalism in the 21st c vs globalism

While authors generally agree that nationalism as a modern political movement is a modern phenomenon, some identify it with political ethnicity which has been present throughout human history. Premodern examples of nationalism they give include the Hussite rebellion, the declaration of Arbroath.

Modernists write that nationalism was created during modernity, while other scholars believe nationalism to have been present beforehand, or a political ethnicity with many of the elements of modern nationalism.

While there is disagreement over whether nationalism was created in the modern period or just transformed by it, there is widespread agreement that modernity saw the rise of nationalism as a primary principle of political legitimacy.

Causes

• At the mo it just has sections on primordialism and modernism
• Add more about whatevers in between

Varieties

• Seems ok

Criticisms

• Change this to a 'supporters and criticisms' section

Supporters

• David Miller
• Anthony Smith
• Benedict Anderson

Critics

• Add ref for "The Islamic revival of the 20th century also produced an Islamic critique of the nation-state."
• Hobsbawm
• Kedourie