NATIONALBEWUSSTSEIN UND GE SELLSCHAFTSBEWUSSTSEIN
In: Politische Vierteljahresschrift: PVS : German political science quarterly, Band 1, Heft 2, S. 141-152
ISSN: 0032-3470
The notion of nat'l consciousness has not been fully explained. We do not know its criteria, since any item can become a symbol for integration to a nation despite any external appearance of such a symbol. Nat'l consciousness is, by definition, an artificial product (of a culture); it is a recent development limited to the Judaeo- Christian world. As for its forms of expression, it should be noted that the nation is always considered a unique & irreplaceable model of the just, moral & free society. The most striking example of such a view is found in the US, which is closed to immigration but is expansionist & proselytizing. Germany, in contrast, is an example of a society where the idea of nationalism was not associated with a humane soc consciousness. The evolution of nat'l sentiment in Germany is presented handicapped by uncertainty concerning what Germany will be which can give rise to reactions of panic. Germany is threatened by idealism which would express itself in the name of the West, as a foe against materialism. The only future possibilities for the development of nationalism lie in soc consciousness, in structures which are at the same time more liberal & more integrating. Tr by J. A. Broussard from IPSA.