History and Theories of Nationalism by Rob Kevlihan

8/7/2019 History and Theories of Nationalism by Rob Kevlihan

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History and Theories of

Nationalism

By Rob KevlihanPresented at Billim Summer School on Nationalism and Teaching History, Almaty,

Kazakhstan, July 2007


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Participative Exercise

What just happened in sociological terms?

What relevance does this exercise have todiscussions on identity and nationalism?

Is it a useful tool?


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Analysis: Participative Exercise

What just happened?

Category formation (Charles Tilly, Durable

Inequality)Ascribed status versus achieved characteristics


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Analysis: Participative Exercise

Is it relevant?

Simplistic: Identities as social arrangements reinforcedby socially constructed and continuously re-negotiated

storieslocated not inside human bodies but in tiesamongst persons (Tilly, Stories, Identities and PoliticalChange)

The role of power in defining which characteristics aresalient for the purposes of category formation (c.f. The

political salience of difference: Why Chewas andTumbukas are Allies in Zambia and Adversaries inMalawi (Posner, APSR, 2004, 98, 4, pp529-545)

Is it useful????


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Defining Nationalism

Negative connotations of nationalism

Relationship between a community and the

stateThat community often (but not always)

compromises a particular ethnic group

Politicization of identityNation-state


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Theories of Nationalism

Primordialism

A people have always existed in a particular place and

after many years of struggle have established / will

establish an independent stateLargely viewed as a straw man in the literature but it

can reflect popular views of the state, particularly if

promulgated through the educational system, official

media etc.Can be contrasted with theories that argue that

nationalism is a purely modern phenomenon


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Nationalism and industrialization / modernization

Industrial revolution in western Europe in 19th century

led to mass urbanization and new forms of associational

life (Tnnies: Gemeinschaft und Gesellschaft)Also led to a massive expansion of state capacity and

penetration of societye.g. through educational system

(Gellner, Hobsbawn)

While the scale of associative activity within states alsoincreased through communicative action (Deutsch)

The Invention of Tradition (Hobsbawn & Ranger)


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Imagined Communities (Anderson)

Also a function of modernity, but origins earlierfrom

invention of the printing press

Nationalism developed in different ways in differentplaces (linguistic, official and creole nationalisms)

Creole the first form in the Americas; official and

linguistic first arose in Europe

Largely a socially constructed and modern phenomenon imagined communities


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Ethno Symbolism (Smith)

Middle roadidea of ethnie

Recognizes the importance of modernprocesses but

Symbols and artifacts of an ethnic group are

importantcontent matters

Element of continuity but not primordialist


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Territorial-Civic (Individualistic) versus

Ethno-cultural nationalism (Shared cultural

characteristics) (Hans Kohn)Variations of civic nationalism

UnitaryUSA: E pluribus unum

- France:Libert, galit, FraternitConsociational (Lijphart)France, Belgium,

Northern Ireland


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Critiques of Nationalist Canon

Danger of any dominant meta narrative

Gender based critique

Relational AnalysisNationalism as a form of contentious

politics

Cosmopolitanism


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Dangers of any meta-narrativethe

subaltern critique (Chatterjee) Fragmentsof nationalism multiple stories and

imaginings instead of one all powerful

hegemonic nationalism in any given locale


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Critiques of Nationalist canon

Gender based critique (Enloe)

Inherently genderized and indeed, male, originsand influences on nationalism;

but (Yuval-Davis) the role of women in passing

on values between generations and use of

womanhood to support nationalist discourse.


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Relational analysis at the inter-state level

Brubakertriangle between governing state,alternative nationalism of minority within that

state and nationalism of neighboring state that

has affinity with the minority

Typology: Minority, homeland andnationalizing nationalisms


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Nationalism as a form of contentious

politics

Nationalism as an outcomeone not alwaysintended at the outset

Importance of political mobilization (Mc

Adam, Tarrow and Tilly, Dynamics of

Contention), including Opportunity Spirals,Identity Shift, Competition and Brokerage)


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History and Nationalism

Historical hagiography

How history is written and taughtdominance

of primordialism?

Historians as organic intellectuals of the state?

All narratives are informed by theory

either implicitly or explicitly

e.g. Marxist stages of development


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Method

Value / Fact distinction (Weber)

The importance of inconvenient facts (Weber)

Self awareness

Subject

Nationalism as outcome of contentious politics (e.g.

Tarrow, Tilly and McAdam)Nationalism as long term socio-political process

Nationalism as false conciousness?


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Distinctive Strengths of Historians

The importance of empirics

Making sense out of sometimes chaoticsituations

Identifying weaknesses in (western derived)

theory


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Relevance to Central Asia

Modern origins of state boundaries as a result of

Soviet nationality policies

Dominance of titular nationalities in each of the

states but presence of other ethnic groups

State building policies of new stateslanguage

policies, state symbolism, nationality requirements

and continued use of ethnic markers (e.g. IDcards)


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Relevance to Central Asia

Massimo dAzeglio We have made Italy;

now it is time to make Italians

Role of historical hagiography in stateformation and legitimation

Historical revisionism

Social movements of a nationalist characterThe dangers of meta narrativessqueezing out

the possibility of pluralistic states?

Documents

History and Theories of Nationalism by Rob Kevlihan