On Nationalism: An Overview of It's Origins, Issues and Types

On Nationalism: An Overview of it's Origins, Issues and Types

Nationalism has been blamed for everything from civil unrest to war and even genocide. But is Nationalisms the evil ideology so many have proposed? To think of Nationalism in this way is to envision a country of brainwashed individuals that hate their neighbors or a people willing to sacrifice themselves for a power hungry military dictator. This is not necessarily an irrational point of view. Albert Einstein was quoted as saying "Nationalism is an infantile disease. It's the measles of mankind". Political scientist have blamed Nationalism for civil wars and territorial aspirations from Napoleonic France to Nazi Germany, while many economists have been know to view it as an illogical distraction to free-market growth and promoting corruption in developing countries. There is no denying that Nationalism has deep misgivings and distrust attached to it. According to Vincent (2005), some political theorist have been very troubled with nationalism in relation to it's role in the events leading up to and during the Second World War. Many theorists saw nationalism as an overly narrow and potentially illogical doctrine. At it's core nationalism can be viewed as exemplifying a closed vision of the world.

History and Definition

Definitions of nationalism vary but a good working definition can be found in The Fontana Dictionary of Modern Thought (1977), "(1) The feeling of belonging to a group united by common racial, linguistic, and historical ties, and usually identified with a particular territory. (2) A corresponding ideology which exalts the nation state as the ideal form of political organization with an overriding claim on the loyalty of its citizens."

Most historians and researchers place the development of nationalism in mid-19th century. Prior to this the term "Patriotism" seems to have been used and it is now incorporated within the general concept of Nationalism. In trying to draw a distinction between patriotism and nationalism Burbank cites Blank et al. (2001) where they suggest "...a continuum of national identification, ranging from national consciousness (or awareness of national membership) to jingoistic nationalism with patriotism somewhere in the middle." The suggestion is that patriotism is usually benign nationalism involving just the "positive" aspects of pride in one's country and its achievements, whereas nationalism, at its extreme, seeks to vilify and denigrate outsiders.

In a similar vein Dekker et al. (2003) while eschewing the use of the word 'patriotism' put forward a cumulative hierarchical model of national attitudinal development. In this model the neutral base is national feeling (defined as "feeling of belonging to one's own people and country") with subsequent stages of development being, in order: national liking, national pride, national preference, national superiority and finally nationalism. Rothi (2005), on the other hand, doesn't use the term 'nationalism" at all but prefers to categorize patriotism into "constructive" or "blind ", the latter reflecting the extreme form of nationalism. Whatever the semantic battles among scholars, most people equate patriotism with nationalism and, with further thought, do realize that there is a continuum from cheering for your country's national soccer team to espousing hate-mongering and xenophobia.

The term nationalism can refer to a form of culture, social movement, ideology, sentiment or a social movement that focuses on the nation (Smith, 1993). In general it can be used to describe two types of phenomena: 1) the attitude of nations members when they care about their national identity and 2) the actions nations members take when seeking to achieve or even sustain independence .( Nielsen, 1998). Although there is significant debate over the historical origins of nations, nearly all experts agree that nationalism, at least as a social movement and ideology is a recent phenomenon originating in Europe (Smith, 1998). No one knows precisely when nationalism emerged, but its development is closely tied to the modern state and the push for the sovereignty of the people. Nationalism has become one of the most noteworthy social and political forces in history, perhaps most markedly as a cause of both World Wars One and Two.

Nationalism as an ideology holds that the populace in the rule of popular sovereignty is the nation, and that as a result only nation-states founded on the principle of national self-determination are legitimate. Given that most states are multinational, or at the very least home to more than one group claiming national status (Conner, 1994). The pursuit of this theory has time and again led to disagreement, thus making nationalism commonly associated with war, and civil unrest. However, nationalism does not lead to violence in all cases. It even plays an integral role in most peoples daily lives around the globe. The singing of national anthems, flags on public buildings and at public events, and the cheering of national sports teams are good examples of everyday, commonplace (banal) nationalism that is often unselfconscious (Billig, 1995).

The Basic Concept of Nationalism

While the term nationalism has an array of meanings, it centrally encompasses the two phenomena noted at the beginning: : 1) the attitude of nations members when they care about their national identity and 2) the actions nations members take when seeking to achieve or even sustain independence( Nielsen, 1998). It is possible to define nations and national identity in terms of ethnicity, cultural ties, or common origins, and whereas an individual's membership in the nation can be regarded as involuntary, it is at times regarded as voluntary. The amount of concern a nationalist takes in ones nation is often very high: according to such views, the claims of one's nation take precedence over adversary contenders for loyalty and authority (Berlin, 1979).

Varieties of Nationalism

Classical nationalism is the political agenda that sees creation and preservation of a fully sovereign state owned by a certain ethno-national group of people as a principal duty of each group member. Classical nationalists are typically watchful about the kind of culture they promote and protect and the types of attitudes people have to their nation-state. However, this vigilant mind-set brings with it some possible dangers Classical nationalism in day to day life puts a variety of additional demands on individuals, from buying more expensive domestically produced