I.

Introduction

Nationalism, an ideological movement for the attainment and maintenance of autonomy, unity, and identity of a human population deemed by some of its members to constitute an actual or potential “nation”.

The concept of nationalism is used in a variety of ways to mean: l) a doctrine or ideology of the nation; 2) a movement with social and political goals on behalf of a nation; 3) a language and symbolism of the nation; 4) a collective sentiment towards the nation; and/or 5) a process of growth of one or more nations.

This last usage is separate from the others; it refers to the much wider process of the development of nations. Similarly with “national sentiment”: widespread attachments to the nation, and a desire for its strength, welfare, and interest, can emerge with or without a nationalist movement or ideology, and to some extent even without the symbolism, if not the language, of the nation. Conversely, we may witness the emergence of nationalist ideologies, movements, and symbols in a tiny minority of the designated national population, without most of the members-to-be having much in the way of an attachment or identification with the emergent nation, as has occurred in several African colonial and ex-colonial states (see Decolonization). Nationalism can appear with or without “its” nation, and vice-versa.

For these reasons, it is best to confine the meaning of the term “nationalism” to ideologies, movements, and symbolisms. Of these, ideology should be accorded primacy; symbols and texts take their meaning from their place in an ideological framework, and while nationalist movements share with other kinds of movements their typical organizational features, they are distinguished by their specific goals, which in turn are set by the ideologies of nationalism.

We sometimes hear that it is impossible to give a unitary meaning to the term “nationalism”, either because it is too vague and inchoate or because there are so many different kinds of nationalism. However, while there are important differences between specific kinds of nationalisms, the central vision animating all of them is bold and clear, and it is one that stamps them as “nationalist” rather than socialist, conservative, Christian, or any other set of ideological movements and belief-systems.

That ideological movement and belief-system has three constituent parts: a core doctrine, a set of ideological goals and concepts, and a network of related motifs, myths and symbols.