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Similarly, what is most feared today is not Islamic nationalism, but rather Islamic fundamentalist internationalism, the result of the Arab Muslim world's "shallow-rooted, kleptocratic" authorities that preside over disenfranchised "impoverished Moslem populations" with little sense of national loyalty (Wiebe 204). In his conclusion, Wiebe argues for a weaker nation state with more deeply-rooted local and less expansionistic ties as the antidote to the negative effects of nationalism.
At the end of Wiebe's preface to his book, he writes: "my hope is not that you will come to like nationalism -- I am not its advocate -- but that you will come to see it as so thoroughly human that no simple judgment does it justice" (Wiebe xvii). However, while Wiebe may be fair in reproaching most American's poor sense of history and lack of appreciation for the power of regional nationalism to affect politics around the globe, naturalizing nationalism as simply and uncomplicatedly human seems troubling, since it essentially leaves the observer powerless to stop its negative forces. Wiebe wants nationalism to be channeled in a positive fashion, yet history would seem to suggest that it has proved to be such a potent force it cannot easily be contained. Wiebe praises Irish nationalism, for example, for sustaining the Irish through oppression in America, where so many immigrated after the famine. Irish...
He also ignores the degree to which religious fervor can infuse negative forms of nationalism, as was the case with the Baltic conflict between Serbs and Muslims. Ultimately, it is difficult to draw a line between good and bad forms of nationalism. When does the 'good' nationalism that broke up the Soviet republics become 'bad' nationalism? No matter how fine Wiebe's rhetoric, nationalism always seems to be based upon an 'us-them' dichotomy, with a dangerous potential for spiraling into hatred, no matter how positive its origins. Also, the nature of nationalism seems to shift with political needs, rather than the reality of the claims of clan or familial groups. Nationalism suits the needs of the moment, and something so culturally and historically contextual seems hardly to be 'natural' despite Wiebe's protests.
Reference
Wiebe, Robert. Who we are: A history of popular nationalism. Princeton: Princeton
University Press, 2001.
Reference
Wiebe, Robert. Who we are: A history of popular nationalism. Princeton: Princeton
University Press, 2001.
So denotes Hobsbawm in considering the era of revolutionary independence. Here, Hobsbawm asserts that nationalism "aimed to extend the scale of human social, political and cultural units: to unify and expand rather than to restrict and separate. This is one reason why Third-world national liberation movements found the 19th century traditions, both liberal and revolutionary-democratic, so congenial. Anti-colonial nationalists dismissed, or at least subordinated, 'tribalism', 'communalism' or other sectional
This had a great role among the European people as it provided the people a sense of community. This means that Europeans felt a sense of belonging to a community. At the same time nationalism fosters a sense of tradition within the Europeans. Through nationalism a set of moral standards were impacted among the people that ensured that the people were morally upright and act according to what is
The various branches of the American military, for example, have their own form of nationalism that is represented by hard power and military supremacy. This does not mean that nationalism must be necessarily political in nature, but often the two are tied together due to the ease in which they go hand in hand. This can be said of geography as well, especially political geography. Often, political geography is mistaken
Nationalism of Spain and Russia -- Destabilization and Change This paper discusses how nationalism has been able to handle destabilization and various changing process. The two major countries chosen for this paper include Spain and Russia and their overall growth of nationalist identity will be focused on in this paper to make a thorough and encompassing comparative analyses. Destabilization and Change - Spain and Russia Russia According to various scholars, Russia was popularly known
This is because the ideas of self-determination would help inspire large numbers of people who shared a common identity and values. Yet, because they were being oppressed for whatever reasons these common ideas would fuel thoughts of self-determination. This is significant because this was the intention of all corresponding revolutions. However, this would morph into something more twisted. In many ways this would help fuel the rise of nationalism
By the end of the century, many world leaders began to reject the ideals of nationalism. Instead of stressing responsibility to one's country, they began to stress responsibility to the world. In fact, the world economy was subject to globalization, and growing concerns about the effects of environmental pollution on all of the people in the world ushered in a growing sense of cosmopolitanism. However, that does not mean that