Nations nationalism and national identity What is

Nations, nationalism and national identity

What is a nation? Language, culture, ethnicity? ¢ Nationality: ethnic and cultural identity ¢ Language, religion, common history & traditions want to uphold, common territory (not conditions but likely defining features) ¢

Imagined communities (Anderson) ¢ It is the magic of nationalism to turn chance into destiny ¢ Folklore, tradition, created symbols ¢

Nationalism as ideology/movement Demands of the nationality are to translate these into a state form. l Asserts validity of national traits for political ends l Self determination is the demand by a nationality to become a state. l

¢ ¢ ¢ Rousseau’s ‘general will’ and ‘popular sovereignty’: the foundation of nationalism? The French Revolution – sovereignty of the people and the nation. Established ‘patriotism’: Response in other European countries: German nationalism e. g. : a traditional form, willed by God, biological, racial and cultural traits: Prussia, 1871.

Waves of nationalism (Macridis) ¢ ¢ France – affected European nationalities End WWI – collapse Austro. Hungarian Empire, Romania and Bulgaria independent, Poland, Finland… End WWII – collapse of colonial power, e. g. the Middle East, Africa Collapse Soviet Union

Is nationalism inevitable? Implies right to statehood/selfgovernment ¢ Identity, consciousness, redrawing boundaries and conflict: reconfirms the state system ¢ Do nations have the right to states? ¢ Examples: The Roma, the Palestinians, Israel ¢

The break up of the nation state Examples, Yugoslavia: a return to nationalism? ¢ Iraq? UK? ¢

The nation state A state and a nationality ¢ National sovereignty ¢ Katzenstein: Germany from semisovereign to sovereign state ¢ Milward: The European rescue of the nation state ¢

Rise of the region state? ¢ ¢ Post national? Two trends – rise of nationalism and transnational developments Examples: European Union, Latin America? Pan-Arab nationalism Are they connected? Does supranational development and problems this creates for democratic representation CAUSE a rise of regional identity and nationalism? Glocalisation.

Challenges to the nation state International Organisations/Region states ¢ International norms and values? ¢ Creating national fragmentation? ¢ Enhance strong states? ¢ Are nation states undermined? ¢

International Law ¢ International law, e. g. US soldiers and ICC ¢ Milosovic on trial ¢ Environmental standards ¢

The market and international finance ¢ WTO; IMF; trade & aid packages ¢ Shell Oil ¢ US drugs’ patents ¢ International intervention ¢ Humanitarian intervention ¢ Nuclear proliferation ¢

The transformation of the state and sovereignty? How do we map democracy on to changed contours of national sovereignty and the international community? ¢ Can we recreate through International Society? ¢

Cosmopolitanism: citizens of the world? ¢ Universal values. Common standards that apply to all individuals and actions, through international law and international organisations.