nationalism

Do you know the meaning of the term nationalism? What are some of the elements of nationalism? What is the significance of nationalism? If you do not know the answer to the above questions, worry not, lets dig in and find out more about this topic.

LEARNING OBJECTIVES

By the end of this topic, you are expected to;

• Understand the meaning of nationalism
• Understand the elements of nationalism
• Understand the different types of nationalism
• Understand the criticism of nationalism

Nationalism refers to an ideology and movement responsible for promoting the interests of a certain nation (a group of people) especially having the aim of gaining as well as maintaining the sovereignty of a nation over its homeland (self-governance). Nationalism maintains that every nation should govern itself, free from interference from the outside. It also holds that a nation is an ideal and natural basis for a polity. Lastly, nationalism holds that a nation is the only rightful source of political power. Therefore, nationalism aims to build as well as maintain a single national identity that is based on social characteristics that are shared like belief, politics, religion, culture and language. Nationalism also aims at promoting solidarity and national unity. Therefore, nationalism is said to seek to preserve as well as foster the traditional culture of a nation and culture revivals. Nationalism is very closely associated with patriotism as it also promotes pride in the achievements of a nation. Nationalism is also combined with other ideologies like socialism and conservatism.

A nation can be defined in different ways, this results in different strands of nationalism. For example, Ethnic nationalism refers to a nation on the basis of culture, heritage and shared ethnicity. Civic nationalism, on the other hand, refers to a nation on the basis of institutions, values and shared citizenship.

Nationalism can be seen to be either negative or positive depending on individual outlook and context. Nationalism is credited for being a crucial driver in independence movements like the Irish Revolution, the Greek Revolution, and the Zionist movement. However, radical nationalism together with radical hatred can have severe effects such as the Holocaust by Nazi Germany.

VARIETIES

Sociologists, anthropologists, and historians have argued different types of nationalism since the 1930s. normally, the most common method of classification of nationalism is to describe movements to have either ethnic or civic nationalist characteristics. Since the 1980s, scholars of nationalism have proposed more specific classifications of nationalism rather than having a rigid division into two. The numerous varieties include;

• Civic nationalism and liberal nationalism. Civic nationalism refers to a nation as an association of people identifying themselves to belong to the nation having equal and shared political rights. Liberal nationalism is a type of non-xenophobic nationalism said to be compatible with the liberal values of equality, individual rights, tolerance and freedom.
• Creole nationalism. This refers to the ideology that came about during the independence movements of the creoles.
• Ethnic nationalism. This is also known as ethnonationalism and it is a type of nationalism where the nation is defined in terms of ethnicity.
• Economic nationalism. This is also known as economic patriotism. It refers to an ideology favoring state interventionism in the economy, with policies emphasizing domestic control of labor, capital formation and the economy.
• Religious nationalism. This refers to the relationship of nationalism to a certain religious belief or dogma.
• Territorial nationalism. Some nationalists may exclude some groups based on language, religion, culture, and history.
• Other types are; gender nationalism, sports nationalism, racial nationalism, anti-colonial nationalism and integral nationalism.