• Myth as “a vision of the future which makes crude
but practical sense of the present” (George Sorel
1990:19).
• Myth “functions as a timeless model”, which
“deprives historical phenomena of their specificity
and transforms them to [sic] omnipotent patterns”
(Törnquist – Plewa 1992:14).
• Myth as “a tale concerned with past events, giving
them a special meaning and significance for the
present and thereby reinforcing the authority of
those who are wielding power in a particular
community” (Friedrich and Brzezinski 1961: 99).
• Integrative function: Myth - an instrument of self
definition for the community (Schöpflin, 1997: 22),
stronger ties within group, clear boundaries towards
the out-groups
• Cognitive function: Mythical thinking is an
instrument of chaos control, of introducing some
regularity into the seeming randomness of the
visible universe
• Communicative function: strong capacity for
emotional mobilization. Myths “mobilize, energize,
and even instigate large groups into action”
(Tismaneanu 1998: 9) by appealing to the
“infrarational segments of political behaviour” (15)
• Numerous ways to categorize myths
• According to the time-arrow direction
• A) Foundational: past-oriented; focus on the
origins of the community; communicate a
system of values and norms; e.g. Golden
Ages
• B) Eschatological: future-oriented; propose a
vision of the future, a way to escape the
present morass and to found a new Golden
Age; most commonly cause of political
mobilization; action-oriented
• A) Salvationist: authoritarian. Need of a strong
leader able to save the situation and lift the
country out of its current dire straits
• B) Messianic: nationalist. nation as having a
special mission, endowed with particular
characteristics that place it above other nations
and thus a privileged leader
• C) Vengeful. Guilt and responsibility outside the
group; compensation needed for past suffering
in the name of moral superiority
• D) Reactionary. Conservative, antirevolutionary. Refuse change, prefer to return to
an idealized past.
• Archetypes: the Conspiracy, the Saviour, the
Golden Age and the Unity (Girardet, 1986).
• Myths of territory: “the cradle of civilization”,
“promised land”. Primacy of arrival and
inhabitation - legitimacy to claims over land
• Myth of kinship and shared descent: the
modern nation, as an extended family
• Myths of redemption and suffering: bright
future guaranteed by the expiation of sins
• Myths of unjust treatment: conspiracy,
fatalism; responsibility given to objective and
inescapable forces like the laws of history or
assigning blame to other, enemy, groups
• Myths of election: group is endowed by
nature or by divine right with special qualities
• Myths of military valor: male values of
courage, honor and generosity are promoted
to national value status
• Myths of rebirth and renewal: a dark period
of decline is to be followed by a new cycle of
prosperity and glory for the community
• Myth of divine election – a community’s collective
belief in its nomination by the deity for a special
destiny
• Strong Biblical tradition, but not only (see Arabs)
• Types: missionary and covenantal;
• 4 strategies of ethnic survival: imperial-dynastic,
communal-demotic, emigrant colonist, and diasporarestoration
• Case of the USA: e.g. Reagan, Bush
• “Chosenness is the supreme guarantor of ethnic
durability” – true or false?
• Which impact on nationalism?