Models of Nationalism: A Case Study of Political Ideologies in the Canadian West

In: Canadian journal of political science: CJPS = Revue canadienne de science politique : RCSP, Band 10, Heft 2, S. 341-373

Abstract

Political ideologies play a less important role in the political belief systems of the general public than is commonly assumed. The concept of nationalism is reviewed & its saliency is tested. Two models of nationalism are compared. The ethnocentric model predicts that, within a nationalist group, the national in-group should be viewed more favorably than the out-groups, & that in-group & out-group evaluations should be negatively correlated. The historical model incorporates explicitly politicized group orientations. It assumes that group orientations are rationally linked, & allows the concept to be defined in terms of specific historical conditions. A study was conducted during July/Aug 1974, consisting of 221 personal interviews. The Ss were randomly chosen from the population of Calgary. The data give only weak support to the ethnocentric model of nationalism, & only for the apolitical group orientations in the sample. The politicized orientations were related in a manner suggesting the historical model. The existence of two conflicting ideological patterns in the political belief systems of the Ss contradicts the assumptions at the beginning of the study. 11 Tables, 3 Appendices. Modified HA.