Nationalism is not a definition that is set in stone. It molds itself to fit the circumstances of the times. Nationalism can be a force for positive change and can also be a tool for destruction. There were countries that were helped by nationalism, and empires that eroded because of it. Perspective matters a lot in nationalism, where one country is helped another is hindered.
That being said nationalism is nothing more and nothing less than unification in a new type of government, technology, ethnicity, religion, it could be anything. Nationalism is just a bunch of people in a country/state/empire that share a common goal.
Whether or not that goal is beneficial or detrimental to the country is different, and some people may have different opinions on nationalism's effects.
The Ottoman and Chinese empires are examples of where the disadvantages of nationalism were shown. The nationalist idea was the Young Turks banding together to form a new state based upon Turkish ethnicity. There were also many other burgeoning nationalist movements taking place as small countries began to be formed in the Mediterranean part of Europe. Along with financial dependence on Europe and Islam holding back progression nationalism caused the Ottoman empire to split.
In the case of Japan, the general population's unification behind the government's efforts of modernization helped Japan to become an economic powerhouse. The people realized without the technology Europe had Japan would quickly become an obsolete country.
Nationalism is only successful when the majority of the population of a country/empire is united. When there are multiple nationalist movements, or when not everyone is unified, nationalism brings down a country.
I thought it was really interesting that you incorporated the ambiguous nature of nationalism's consequences into your definition. I completely agree that the specific context of nationalism dictates the form that nationalism takes. It also comes down to perspective; while it may invigorate the individual people, it can have negative results on the whole of the nation as you described. On the other hand, it can also bring a nation to new heights. And again, this depends on the context of the country's nationalism.
ReplyDeleteI like your first sentence; Nationalism does not have a definition that is set in stone. Really good thoughts about how it is ambiguous and applies differently to different people.
ReplyDelete