Nationalism & the Nation-State

Watch

• How Nations Make Up National Identities | NYT - The Interpreter ↗The New York Times
• EMPIRES & ECHOES — The Rise of Nationalism in Europe, Perfect for lovers of military history, ↗Empires & Echoes
• What is Nationalism? | Nationalism Explained | Pros and Cons of Nationalism Examples of Nationalism ↗Illustrate to Educate
• The Idea That Destroyed Europe's Kings | The Rise of Nationalism Explained ↗Chronicles of War
• Decolonization and Nationalism Triumphant: Crash Course World History #40 ↗CrashCourse
• Nationalism (Urdu) | Part 1 ↗Taimur_Laal

Read

• Imagined Communities: Reflections on the Origin and Spread of Nationalism ↗A seminal work demonstrating how nations are not ancient entities but modern cultural constructs, fostering a sense of shared belonging through print capitalism.Benedict Anderson
• Nations and Nationalism ↗Argues persuasively that nationalism is an inevitable byproduct of industrial society, providing the cultural homogeneity necessary for modern economic and political systems.Ernest Gellner
• Nations and Nationalism Since 1780: Programme, Myth, Reality ↗A sweeping historical analysis tracing the evolution of nationalism from a revolutionary ideal to a ubiquitous, often destructive, force in the modern world.Eric Hobsbawm
• What Is a Nation?This foundational lecture posits that a nation is a spiritual principle, a daily plebiscite built on shared memories and a collective will to live together.Ernest Renan
• Politics as a VocationDefines the state as the sole legitimate holder of physical force, offering crucial insights into the coercive and legitimate foundations of the modern nation-state.Max Weber

Voices to follow

• Liah Greenfeld ↗Her seminal work dissects nationalism as a distinct cultural and moral phenomenon, tracing its historical evolution and diverse manifestations across civilizations.Professor of Sociology, Political Science, and Anthropology, Boston University
• Rogers Brubaker ↗A leading theorist on nationalism, his work meticulously unpacks the fluidity of national identity and the contingent nature of national belonging, challenging static definitions.Professor of Sociology, University of California, Los Angeles
• Francis Fukuyama ↗His extensive scholarship on political development and the origins of political order provides crucial insights into the historical trajectory and contemporary challenges of the nation-state.Senior Fellow, Stanford University's Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies
• Timothy Snyder ↗An incisive historian of Central and Eastern Europe, he illuminates the destructive potential of extreme nationalism and the fragility of democratic nation-states through rigorous historical analysis.Richard C. Levin Professor of History, Yale University
• Partha Chatterjee ↗A foundational voice in postcolonial studies, he offers critical perspectives on nationalism's formation in the Global South, particularly its complex relationship with colonial legacies and modernity.Professor of Anthropology, Columbia University; Honorary Professor, Centre for Studies in Social Sciences, Calcutta

Glossary

• ColonialismWhen one powerful country takes control over another weaker country, often settling there and exploiting its resources and people for its own benefit. For example, British colonialism in India meant that Britain ruled India, took its raw materials, and sold its finished goods back to India.
• Ethnic GroupA group of people who share a common cultural background, ancestry, language, or traditions, which makes them feel distinct from other groups. For example, the Punjabi people in India and Pakistan form an ethnic group because they share a common language, culture, and history.
• IndependenceThe state of a country or nation being free from the control, rule, or influence of another country or power. For example, India achieved independence on August 15, 1947, meaning it was no longer ruled by the British.
• NationA large group of people who feel connected because they share things like a common language, history, culture, or traditions. For example, people who speak Hindi, celebrate Diwali, and share a long history might see themselves as part of the Indian nation.
• Nation-StateA country where most of the people share a common culture, language, or history (a nation), and they are governed by their own independent government (a state). For example, Japan is often considered a nation-state because most of its citizens share a common Japanese culture and are governed by the Japanese government.
• NationalismA strong feeling of pride and loyalty towards one's own nation, often wanting it to be independent and powerful. It can inspire people to work together for their country's benefit. For example, during India's freedom struggle, many people felt a strong sense of nationalism, uniting to gain independence from British rule.
• PatriotismA deep love for one's country and a willingness to support and defend it, often shown through actions like celebrating national holidays or respecting national symbols. For example, feeling a surge of patriotism when the national anthem plays or cheering for your country's team in a sports match.
• Self-determinationThe right of a group of people to decide their own political future, including choosing their own government or forming their own independent country. For example, after World War I, many groups of people in Europe wanted self-determination to form their own countries based on their shared culture and language.
• SovereigntyThe full power and right of a country to govern itself without any outside interference or control. For example, when India became independent, it gained sovereignty, meaning it could make its own laws and decisions without Britain telling it what to do.
• StateA political organization that has control over a specific area of land, with its own government and people living there. For example, the country of India is a state because it has clear borders, a government, and citizens.

Threads 7

Where this connects to other fields, and why it's worth knowing.

• Art, Society & Identity Arts

  Loads of 'ancient' folk costumes, dances, and legends were actually invented in the 1800s. New countries needed to feel old and soulful, so they manufactured traditions and called them timeless. A lot of 'heritage' folk art is really nation-building wearing a vintage costume.

• Creation Myths and Origin Stories Religion

  New nations invented grand origin stories: noble ancestors, a lost golden age, a heroic beginning. They used the exact same tools that religions use to tell how the world was created. A country's founding myth and a sacred creation story are built in the same workshop.

• What Schools Are For Education

  France once had regions full of people who didn't even speak the same language or feel French. Mass schooling was built on purpose to fix that: one language, one flag, one shared story for everyone. The standardized classroom was designed as a factory for turning locals into loyal citizens.

• Music & Sound Arts

  That solemn national anthem that feels thousands of years old? A lot of them were freshly written in the 1800s, along with 'ancient' folk dances and costumes. Nations were being built, and they needed a shared past to feel real, so people composed one, then dressed it up as tradition.

• Religion and the State Religion

  Nationalism quietly raided religion's closet and put on its clothes. Flags became holy icons, fallen soldiers became martyrs, the homeland became sacred soil, and founding documents became scripture. The nation turned itself into a kind of faith, one the state itself could command you to worship.

• Linguistics Literature

  Once printing presses pumped out cheap books and newspapers in everyday language, strangers hundreds of miles apart started reading the same words and feeling like one people. They'd never meet, yet they imagined they belonged together. A 'nation' is partly just a side-effect of everyone reading the same printed language.

• Sport, the Body & Society Health, Medicine & the Body

  The Olympic Charter provides for National Olympic Committees and their flags, emblems and anthems. These institutions make international sport a setting where national identity is publicly represented. Studying that symbolism connects sport with nationalism without assuming that sporting allegiance always produces political nationalism.

  Sources: IOC — Olympic Charter, National Olympic Committees and their symbols ↗