Suchergebnisse

The popular position that nationalism is receding & that the nation-state is being replaced by transnational methods of political organization is reconsidered. Overviews of Hegel's & Marx's respective accounts of the historical development of state structures are presented, raising questions concerning the conditions that engender collective identities & how such identities are influenced by political & social activity. Benedict Anderson's (1983) analysis of imagined communities is subsequently discussed, emphasizing his delineation of nationalism as a counterpart to kinship & his assertion that nationalism's roots are located within familial & religious traditions. Although Anderson's understanding of nationalism is deemed useful for understanding certain citizens' willingness to sacrifice their lives for their country, other problems with his language-oriented conceptualization of nationalism are highlighted. In fact, it is countered that the state's willingness to mobilize armed resistance & citizens' recognition of this power, not the cultural characteristics of the state, form the foundation of nationalist identity. It is suggested that Marx's inability to define a national people should not necessarily be defined as a deficiency with his thought. J. W. Parker