Arab nationalists initially wanted to rule themselves, as opposed to being subjects of the Turkish-ethnicity Ottoman Empire. After the Ottoman Empire broke up and European colonial powers seized land in the Middle East, Arab nationalists called for independence, which at times included a desire to unify the various Arab states together.
There has been a debate in the scholarly literature about whether nationalism is necessarily a bad thing. Some see it as a destructive, cynical force. Others think it is a byproduct of modernisation that can lead to dangerous effects in certain conditions. Still others think nationalism can be a positive force when it takes on a civic, rather than ethnic form.
One scholar who saw nationalism as a dangerous force was Elie Kedourie. Kedourie argued nationalism was an ideology or political doctrine developed by elites and spread throughout society. Its effects were often disruptive. He pointed to tensions in Eastern and Central Europe throughout the 19 th and 20 th centuries as example, in which previously diverse states experienced conflict along ethnic divisions. Others, however, saw nationalism—specifically civic, as opposed to ethnic, nationalism—as a potential force for good.
The former defines the nation based on kinship and appearance, while the latter draws on shared values. Other scholars thought nationalism could be dangerous in certain settings. Both Ernest Gellner and Benedict Anderson argued that nationalism was a product of modernity, either the impacts of industrialisation as Gellner claimed or broader shifts in consciousness in Anderson.
So nationalism itself would be neither good nor bad; it just is. Under certain conditions, however—when nationalism became closely connected to ethnic differences—nationalism could take on a negative form.
One of these aspects is visible racial differences. In these instances, one ethnic group will remain separate from the national majority, facing discrimination as a result. One of his primary examples of European racism in the midst of s colonialism. That is, while nationalism can lead to destructive racism, this arises from the imposition of class-based chauvinism over national movements.
Liah Greenfeld and Daniel Chirot similarly suggested that certain forms of nationalism could lead to aggression and hostility. These varied views suggest the situation is not as clear as Macron suggested. We do not face a choice between positive patriotism and negative nationalism. So, based on the nationalism literature, it is unclear whether nationalism itself is always a problem.
But one common solution to aggressive nationalism emerges from several scholars: keep it away from the state. Whether movements frame nationalism as ethnic or civic in form, it can still lead to destructive xenophobia if mobilised by the state. First, several scholars questioned the distinction between civic and ethnic nationalism. Gat defines nationalism as political ethnicity. In other words, nationalism is just identity politics taken to its logical extreme of one ethnicity dominating a state.
Civic nationalism, which Gat also writes about in his book, is the idea that membership in a nation can be formed by civic attachment to certain ideas like the Constitution. He points to immigrant intermarriage and linguistic assimilation, all markers of cultural and genetic assimilation, but the persistence of hyphenated Americanism that separates ethnic identity from national identity seems at odds with his explanation.
His primordialism is convincing and I dislike it very much, but I must accept it as he convincingly provides evidence for his point in every example except for the United States. However, his definition of nationalism as political ethnicity will infuriate many American nationalists who go to great lengths to exclude racists from their midst even though they fail miserably. Live Now. Cato at Liberty. Blog Home RSS. Email Signup Sign up to have blog posts delivered straight to your inbox!
Banking and Finance. Constitutional Law. Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF. Skip to main content. This service is more advanced with JavaScript available. Advertisement Hide. The Multifaceted Nature of Ethno-Nationalism. Authors Authors and affiliations Adrian Guelke. This process is experimental and the keywords may be updated as the learning algorithm improves. This is a preview of subscription content, log in to check access.
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