Page 39 - Encyclopedia Of World History Vol IV

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of room for historical contingency.Whatever its origins,
nationalism has become a historical force in its own Nation-State
right, not merely as a medium for other projects. Nations
have been able to appropriate and create impressive cul- he term nation-state ought to be distinguished from
tural resources. States retain a good deal of residual power Ttwo closely related terms, nationalism and nation.
and are well aware of the potency of nationalism to sup- The nation can be thought of as a group of people who
port it. Whether or not globalization will eventually de- are said to have collective bonds—produced by one or
liver prosperity and security, the contemporary reality for more cultural phenomena such as race, language, reli-
many is poverty and uncertainty. In these circumstances, gion, culture, or history—and affiliation with a common
it is not surprising that nationalism continues to attract territory. Nationalism is the valuation of the national
the allegiance of states, oppositional groups, and—not bond over all other ties and is expressed as the identifica-
least—ordinary people. tion of the national collective with a present or anticipated
nation-state. The nation-state is the singular authority
Ross Poole
that represents the sovereignty of the people of the
See also Ethnic Nationalism; Nation-State nation within clearly demarcated territorial boundaries.
A “primordialist” view of the relationship between
these terms posits that the nation, if not nationalism, pre-
Further Reading cedes the nation-state. In this view, the nation-state rep-
Anderson, B. (1991). Imagined communities: Reflections on the origin resents the primordial nation’s ultimate awakening or
and spread of nationalism (2nd ed.). London: Verso.
Armstrong, J. A (1982). Nations before nationalism. Chapel Hill: Uni- coming to awareness of its racial or deep cultural bonds
versity of North Carolina Press. in order to fulfill its destiny in a modern future. Nation-
Bayly, C. A. (2004). The birth of the modern world 1780–1914: Global
connections and comparisons. Malden, MA: Blackwell. alists describe the history of the region as an evolution or
Breuilly, J. (1982). Nationalism and the state. New York: St. Martin’s awakening toward modern national consciousness. Con-
Press. temporary scholars of nationalism, most of who can be
Colley, L. (1992). Britons: Forging the nation 1707–1783. New Haven,
CT: Yale University Press. dubbed “constructivists,” do not subscribe to this view,
Dahbour, O., & Ishay, M. R. (Eds.). (1995). The nationalism reader. although the extent and understanding of their construc-
Atlantic Highlands, NJ: Humanities Press.
Gellner, E. (1983). Nations and nationalism. Oxford, UK: Basil Blackwell tivism varies. Constructivists argue that the nation is in
Greenfeld, L. (1992). Nationalism: Five roads to modernity. Cambridge, many ways the product of relatively recent state forma-
MA: Harvard University Press. tion that sought to integrate different groups into a polit-
Hastings, A. (1997). The construction of nationhood: Ethnicity, religion
and nationalism. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press. ical body (which comes to be called the nation).The con-
Hobsbawm,E.J.(1993).Nationsandnationalismsince1780:Programme, structivists argue that by interpreting the diverse history
myth, reality (2nd ed.). Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press.
Hobsbawm, E. J., & Ranger,T. (Eds.). (1983). The invention of tradition. and loyalties of the region as the evolution of the nation,
Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press nationalist seek to legitimate the present nation-state.
Hutchinson, J., & Smith,A. D. (Eds.). (1994). Nationalism. Oxford, UK: To be sure, some societies, such as China or England,
Oxford University Press.
Kedourie, E. (1962). Nationalism. New York: Frederick A. Praeger. have had long processes of state formation that did pro-
Kohn, H. (1969). The idea of nationalism:A study in its origins and back- duce enduring ties and even an awareness of Chineseness
ground (2nd ed.).Toronto, Canada: Collier-Macmillan.
Marx,A.W. (2003). Faith in nation: Exclusionary origins of nationalism. or Englishness, but in the absence of modern tech-
Oxford, UK: Oxford University Press. nologies or need for strong identity creation, such aware-
Poole, R. (1999). Nation and identity. London: Routledge. ness was often temporary, limited to few groups, and
Seton-Watson, H. (1977). Nations and states:An enquiry into the origins
of nations and the politics of nationalism. London: Methuen. rarely overrode other local or religious bonds. Nonethe-
Smith,A. D. (1986). The ethnic origins of nationalism. Oxford, UK: Basil less, some historians argue that historical conditions are
Blackwell.
Weber, E. (1976). Peasants into Frenchmen. Stanford, CA: Stanford Uni- an important factor and no social formation can be arbi-
versity Press. trarily constructed into a successful nation.