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.
 Asserts validity of national traits for
political ends
 Self determination is the demand by a
nationality to become a state.




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 AustroHungarian 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.