Blackwell Reference Online

Extract

To understand nationalism, we have to understand the practical uses of the category “nation,” the ways it can come to structure perception, to inform thought and experience, to organize discourse and political action. Nationalist ideology has shaped the way in which the world is organized. Political maps are divided into differently colored states – often called “nation states” – suggesting that the nation is intimately linked to the state as a territorial entity and a reservoir of power. As the primary focus of nationalist ideology, the nation is both a way of justifying where borders are drawn and a means of contesting those borders, because it serves to underpin not only the legitimacy of modern states but also the conflicting claims of sub-state nationalists. In an era of globalization and integration into the European Union (EU), nationalists also strike alliances which may at first seem surprising. How can some nationalists be pro-European, for instance, if the core of their demands is greater independence? How does globalization impact on the sovereignty and legitimacy of the nation state and the demands of minority nationalists? How do we account for the many varieties of nationalist movements, and how have they evolved since the end of the Cold War? How can some nationalists espouse left-wing views, when nationalism is also associated with fascism? This chapter offers ways ... log in or subscribe to read full text