The Rise of Nationality
NATIONALITY
Nationality is distinct from Race and
Ethnicity.
Race is a term descendants of western
Europeans use to classify the indigenous
peoples of other places.
Ethnicity is a term used to identify groups
who share a specific cultural inheritance.
Nationality refers to the country/state in
which an individual is born and holds
citizenship.
If ethnicity refers to shared cultural values
like mentifacts and artifacts, nationality
refers here to shared identity through
sociofacts and legal attachment to
country through voting, civil rights, civic
duties, citizenship, etc…
The US and Canada are multi-ethnic
states because they are states composed
or more than one ethnic group.
MULTI-ETHNIC
STATES
The United States
The United States has attempted to de-emphasize ethnic identity
and use national identity and nationality as a centripetal force.
Remember the three eras (colonial, 19th century and modern) of
migration and the source regions/countries of migrants. America is
a country composed of a number of distinct ethnic groups.
Strong ethnic identity can be a centrifugal force
In order to create a unified country, the US emphasized not
individual ethnic identity but shared national identity through the
values of the Declaration of Independence and the US Constitution…
equality, rights, life, liberty, the pursuit of happiness, justice, etc.
Citizenship and voting rights were added to American national
identity over time.
The idea of America is that “American” (nationality) is your shared,
public identity with all citizens of the country.
Your ethnic identity (for example “Philippino” or “Scottish”) is your
private, individual heritage that you are free to preserve as much as
you wish in your home.
MULTI-ETHNIC
STATES
Canada
Canada also has a varied ethnic background, but much less diverse.
The Northern territories contain most of the indigenous populations of
Canada (Inuit and Metis). The southern provinces are comprised mostly of
the descendents of British settlers (including Scotch and Irish), except in
Quebec where there are a large number of descendents of French settlers.
The question for Canada is if the Quebecois are “just” a distinct ethnic group
within one nationality or form a second nationality of their own.
If a nationality, then Quebec has a stronger case to form a separate state
from Canada.
MULTI-ETHNIC
STATES
Iran
The book discusses the
current situation of
each of these
Southwest and South
Asian states, please
read carefully!
Persian 61%
Azeri 16%
Kurd 10%
(Also Lur, Baloch, Arab, Turkmen)
Iraq
Arab 75%-80%
Kurdish 15%-20%
(Turkoman, Assyrian, or other 5%)
Afghanistan
From CIA World Factbook: current
statistical data on the sensitive
subject of ethnicity in Afghanistan is
not available, and ethnicity data
from small samples of respondents
to opinion polls are not a reliable
alternative; Afghanistan's 2004
constitution recognizes 14 ethnic
groups: Pashtun, Tajik, Hazara,
Uzbek, Baloch, Turkmen, Nuristani,
Pamiri, Arab, Gujar, Brahui,
Qizilbash, Aimaq, and Pashai (2015)
Pakistan
Punjabi 44.68%
Pashtun (Pathan) 15.42%
Sindhi 14.1%
Sariaki 8.38%
Muhajirs 7.57%
Balochi 3.57%
other 6.28%
NATIONSTATES
Outside of North America, the distinction between ethnicity and nationality gets muddy because many countries
were, are being, or will be formed as a country FOR a specific ethnic group.
To preserve their unique ethnic identity, many ethnicities assert the right to self-determination (the right to self
rule without outside interference) and form nation-states. A nation is an ethnic group that identifies itself as
distinct and that has a history of self-determination.
A nation-state is a country/state whose territorial boundaries correspond the the geographic boundaries of a
specific ethnic group so that the ethnicity becomes a nationality. Almost all members of the group live in there.
Denmark
Denmark is a nation-state because the territory of Denmark closely follows the
territory of the Danish ethnicity.
Nearly all Danes speak Danish, and nearly all of the world’s Danish speakers live in
Denmark.
However, 10% of the Danish are ethnic minorities, the largest of which are Turkish
and refugees from the former Yugoslavia.
Denmark also controls two territories in the Atlantic whose inhabitant are Danish:
The Faeroe Islands (who speak Faeroese) and Greenland (12% Danish, 88%
indigenous Greenlanders, primarily Inuit).
Denmark has granted Greenland a locally autonomous government, which
adopted Greenlandic place names and adopted Greenlandic as the official
language.
NATIONSTATES
European Nation-States
The map or Europe has changed drastically
over that last 200 years from a few, large
empires to many, smaller countries (states).
As empires broke apart, the often broke into
several, smaller countries/states formed as
homes for various, specific ethnic groups.
Thus, Nations (a people) formed places
(states) for themselves.
A nation state is a place for a people.
The confusing part, then is that a descriptor
like “Irish” can therefore refer to both a
person’s nationality (a citizen of Ireland) and
her ethnicity (a person of Irish descent by
culture).
NATIONALISM
Therefore, Nationalism also becomes bit of a tricky term. It operates in three ways:
PATRIOTISM
IRREDENTISM
JINGOISM
In one sense, nationalism simply
refers to loyalty and devotion to
one’s state/country as a centripetal
force (a national pride more
accurately called patriotism).
In another sense, nationalism refers
to the desire of an ethnic group
within a multi-ethnic state to
exercise its right to selfdetermination, break away and
form its own nation-state. This is
also called irredentism.
In a final sense, it refers to the
promotion of one’s own state’s
interests above the interests of
all other states or of global
cooperation (often called
jingoism).
NATIONALISM
In all three senses, nationalism acts as a centripetal force, one that attempts to bring unity either to an ethnic
group or to an established state/country.
Nationalism uses a number of techniques (usually called propaganda) to create a strong sense of national
identity:
Flags
Anthems
Emphasis on certain languages,
religions and other distinctive
aspects of culture can also act as
centripetal forces .
Sports
Symbols
Holidays
Nationalism can be dangerous in
that it often also focuses on
negative images, stereotypes and
attitudes about other countries or
ethnic groups.
MULTINATIONAL
STATES
Multinational states are types of multi-ethnic states that contain two or more ethnic groups with strong traditions of self-determination.
Each group recognizes the other groups as nations (nationalities), but the various nations decide to coexist within a single state/country.
One group may try to dominate others, or they may coexist peacefully. One group may try to assimilate another/acculturate into another, or the
nations may preserve their unique identities. Some countries may devolve (devolution) some amount of power to locally autonomous regions.
The United Kingdom
The UK contains four major nationalities: England, Scotland, Wales, Northern
Ireland.
Wales was formally united with England in 1536 and exists as a local
government unit.
Scotland formally united in 1707 and Scotland retains its own laws and
education system. England, Wales and Scotland are called Great Britain.
Northern Ireland remained under British rule after the southern 5/6 of the
island became independent in the 1920s.
The various nations coexist for the most part peacefully these days as a whole.
Distinct national identities emerge most strongly in professional sports, with
each nation fielding its own professional soccer and rugby teams and
competing separately.
MULTINATIONAL
STATES
The former USSR
The USSR was a massive multinational state until its collapse in the early 1991.
It was comprised of 15 republics, each based on the largest ethnic groups. Smaller ethnic
groups existed but were not recognized as republics.
Some ethnic groups were given some mount of power and recognized as nationalities,
other, smaller groups were suppressed in the Russification of the country.
When the USSR fell, the 15 republics became their own states
Three Baltic States: Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania
Three European States: Belarus, Moldova, Ukraine
Five Central Asian States: Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan
Three Caucasus States: Azerbaijan, Armenia, Georgia
Russia
The Baltic, European and some of the Central Asian states are decent examples of
nation-states.
However, the Caucasus states and Russia experience high levels of ethnic fighting.
MULTINATIONAL
STATES
Baltic Nation-States
Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania are called Baltic States
because of their location on the Baltic Sea.
They existed independently after WWI but were annexed
into Russia in 1940.
Lithuania is closest to being a nation-state.
COUNTRY
ETHNICITY
RELIGION
LANGUAGE
LITHUANIA
85% Lithuanian
Catholic majority
Indo-European
ESTONIA
69% Estonians
Lutheran majority
Uralic
LATVIA
59% Latvians
Lutheran Majority
Large Catholic minority
Indo-European
MULTINATIONAL
STATES
European Nation-States
The new European states do not qualify as well as nation-states for various reasons.
COUNTRY
ENTHINICTY
RELIGION
LANGUAGE
BELARUS
81% Belarusians
Majority Orthodox
Catholic
East Slavic
MOLDOVA
78% Moldovans
Majority Orthodox
Catholic
East Slavic
UKRAINE
78% Ukrainians
Majority Orthodox
Catholic
East Slavic
Belarusians and Ukrainians became distinct ethnicities after being separated from the
Russians (Eastern Slavs) by various Mongol invasions in the 1300-1400s.
When Russia re-conquered the areas in the 1700s, 500 years of Mongol, non-Slavic
influence had made the two distinct from each other and from the Russian eastern-Slavs.
Moldovans, however, are ethnically identical to Romanians, and Moldova was a part of
Romania until it was taken by Russia in 1940.
However, when Russia took over, they increased the size of Moldova by adding to it a
chunk of the Ukraine. In that chunk (Trans-Dneister), the majority are Russian Ukrainian
and oppose Moldovan reunification with Romania.
MULTINATIONAL
STATES
Ukraine
Ukrainian 77.8%,
Russian 17.3%,
(Also Belarusians, Moldovans, Crimean Tatars, Bulgarians,
Hungarians, Romanians, Poles, Jews)
FROM CIA WORLD FACTBOOK: Following the collapse of czarist Russia
in 1917, Ukraine was able to achieve a short-lived period of
independence (1917-20), but was reconquered and forced to endure a
brutal Soviet rule that engineered two forced famines (1921-22 and
1932-33) in which over 8 million died. In World War II, German and
Soviet armies were responsible for some 7 to 8 million more deaths.
Although final independence for Ukraine was achieved in 1991 with
the dissolution of the USSR, democracy and prosperity remained
elusive as the legacy of state control and endemic corruption stalled
efforts at economic reform, privatization, and civil liberties. A peaceful
mass protest referred to as the "Orange Revolution" in the closing
months of 2004 forced the authorities to overturn a rigged
presidential election and to allow a new internationally monitored
vote that swept into power a reformist slate under Viktor
YUSHCHENKO. Subsequent internal squabbles in the YUSHCHENKO
camp allowed his rival Viktor YANUKOVYCH to stage a comeback in
parliamentary (Rada) elections and to become prime minister in
president
in February
In October 2012, Ukraine held Rada elections, widely criticized by Western observers as flawed due to use of government resources to favor
August of 2006,
and to2010.
be elected
ruling party candidates, interference with media access, and harassment of opposition candidates. President YANUKOVYCH's backtracking on a trade and cooperation
agreement with the EU in November 2013 - in favor of closer economic ties with Russia - and subsequent use of force against civil society activists in favor of the agreement
led to a three-month protest occupation of Kyiv's central square. The government's use of violence to break up the protest camp in February 2014 led to all out pitched
battles, scores of deaths, international condemnation, and the president's abrupt departure to Russia. New elections in the spring allowed pro-West president Petro
POROSHENKO to assume office on 7 June 2014. In March 2014, shortly after YANUKOVYCH’s departure, Russian President PUTIN ordered the invasion of Ukraine's Crimean
Peninsula claiming the action was to protect ethnic Russians living there. Two weeks later, a "referendum" was held regarding the integration of Crimea into the Russian
Federation. The "referendum" was condemned as illegitimate by the Ukrainian Government, the EU, the US, and the UN General Assembly. Although Russia illegally annexed
Crimea after the "referendum," the Ukrainian Government asserts that Crimea remains part of Ukraine. Russia also continues to supply separatists in two of Ukraine's eastern
provinces with manpower, funding and materiel resulting in an armed conflict with the Ukrainian Government.
MULTINATIONAL
STATES
Central Asian States
The new central Asian states fit the definition of a nation-state to varying degrees.
However, they provide a good example of why multinational states are often more
peaceful than nation-states.
STATUS
COUNTRY
ETHNICITY
RELIGION
LANGUAGE
TURKMENISTAN
85% Turkmen
(also in Russia)
Muslim
Altaic
UZBEKISTAN
80% Uzbek
(also in Kyrgyz and
Tajik)
Muslim
Altaic
Peaceful
KYRGYZSTAN
69% Kyrgyz
15% Uzbek
9% Russian
Muslim
Altaic
Kyrgyz hate
Russians for
stealing farmland
KAZAKHSTAN
67% Kazakh
18% Russians
Muslim
Orthodox
Altaic
Indo-Euro
TAJIKISTAN
80% Tajik
15% Uzbek
1% Russian
Muslim
Muslim
Orthodox
Indo-European
Altaic
Indo-Euro
Peaceful
Peaceful due to
economy
Infighting in Tajik
group between
former communists
and Muslim
fundamentalists
MULTINATIONAL
STATES
Russia
Russia recognizes 39 nationalities within its borders, many of whom want independence.
Overall 20% of Russia’s population is non-Russian, but some areas have particularly high number of
non-russians.
Many of these groups are clustered either along southern borders with other countries or in the
western corner of the country near the Volga.
Independence movements in various places are flourishing because Russia is less willing to suppress
the movements than the Soviet Union was.
Chechens have been particularly troublesome.
Chechnya came under Russian control in the 1800s. When the USSR fell, Chechens declared
independence, but Russia ignored the declaration.
In 1994, Russia sent troops into Chechnya to set an example to other ethnic separatists (irredentists)
and to control petroleum deposits in the regions so that it could attract foreign investment.
MULTINATIONAL
STATES
Russia
Russia is a multi-national
state with over 185 ethnic
groups designated as
nationalities, population of
these groups varying
enormously, from millions in
the case of e.g. Russians and
Tatars to under 10,000 in the
case of Samis and Kets.[1]
Among the 85 subjects
which constitute Russia,
there are 21 national
republics (meant to be home
to a specific ethnic minority),
5 autonomous okrugs
(usually with substantial or
predominant ethnic
minority) and an
autonomous oblast.
Russian 77.7%,
Tatar 3.7%,
Ukrainian 1.4%,
Bashkir 1.1%,
Chuvash 1%,
Chechen 1%,
other 10.2%, unspecified 3.9%
MULTINATIONAL
STATES
The Caucasus States
The Caucasus region sits between the Black and Caspian Seas just north of Turkey and Iran.
The region is home to numerous ethnicities:
Major (Azeris, Armenians, Georgians)
Moderate (Abkhazian, Chechens, Ingush, Ossetians)
Minor but major elsewhere (Kurds, Russians)
The whole region was a part of the USSR who promoted allegiance to communism and
squashed ethnic disputes.
Since the fall of the USSR, long-simmering
conflicts have erupted again, as most ethnicities
have grievances against most of the others.
Most also want to carve out their own nations.
The Caucasus is called a shatterbelt because of
the disparity between ethnic and national
boundaries and because of the desire of so many
ethnicities to create new states.
MULTINATIONAL
STATES
Azeris and Armenians have both formed distinct nationstates.
However, the two now battle over the border between them,
especially concerning an enclave of Armenians in Azerbaijan
called Nagorno Karabakh.
After a 1994 cease-fire, the region now acts like an
independent republic.
Azerbaijan
Azeris are turks who migrated to the area in
8th and 9th centuries and blended with local
Persians.
In 1828, northern Azeri territory was given to
Russia and the Southern territory to Persia
(Iran).
In 1991, Soviet Azerbaijan became an
independent country but the western portion
of the country is fragmented by a corridor of
Armenia.
91% of Azerbaijanis are Azeri, but 24% of
Iranians are also Azeri.
While Iranian Azeri’s participate in the
government and economy, the language is
restricted.
Armenia
Armenians controlled an independent
kingdom in the area over3,000 years ago.
They converted to Christianity in 303 and
lived in anenclave under Turkish Muslim rule.
In the late 19th century, the Turks massacred
hundreds of thousands of Armenians and
others were forced to migrate to Russian
Armenia. In 1921, Turkey and the USSR
divided Armenia between them.
Soviet Armenia became independent in 1991.
Armenians comprise 98% of Armenia.
Georgia
Georgia’s population is more diverse than the
other two.
84% Georgian, 7% Azeri, 6% Armenian, 2%
Russian, 3% Abkhazian/Ajar/Ossetian
Abkhazians and Ossetians have caused
trouble in Georgia. In the 1990s, Abkhazia
declared Abkhazia to be an independent
state. In 2008, Ossetians declared South
Ossetia’s independence.
Russia has recognized both independent
states and sent troops to support them.
ETHNIC
REVIVAL
Multinational states encourage national rather than ethnic identity
as a centripetal force to hold together larger groups of peoples.
Slovenia
Karl Marx criticized nationalism as a way for the wealthy to
suppress the poor laboring class and proposed to replace ethnic
identity with labor-class identity.
Communist leaders in Eastern Europe suppressed ethnic identities,
forcing writers and artists to use “socialist realism,” suppressing
local languages for Russian and minimizing the role of organized
religion.
With the fall of communism, ethnic identity has returned over
much or Europe, especially Eastern Europe.
The dissolution of the USSR, Yugoslavia and Czechoslovakia gave
numerous ethnicities the opportunity to form nation-states.
Slovenia emerged from the former
Yugoslavia.
Minority ethnicities, however, found themselves either as
minorities in multinational states or divided between numerous
states.
Slovenes comprise 83% of the population,
and almost all Slovenes live in Slovenia.
The dissolution of the USSR, Czechoslovakia and Yugoslavia
occurred largely because smaller ethnic groups opposed the
dominance and oppression of the major ethnic group in the region.
Russians in the USSR; Serbs in Yugoslavia; Czechs in Czechoslovakia
Because of the very close overlap of the
borders of Slovenia and the territory of the
Slovenes, Slovenia has been very peaceful.