Nationalism

A conscious self-awareness of one's ethnic, territorial, historical, and cultural identity, generally positive and usually associated with govern mental or political boundaries. Nationalism is frequently the sentiment used to distinguish one nation from another. Nationalism has been suggested by some scholars as an early modern European phenomenon, though most claim that it gained force only in the late 18th and early 19th centuries, after the Napoleonic Wars.

A nationalistic awareness develops in individuals when they recognize a common identity and are integrated in the community regardless of differences in social class, religion, and education. This awareness constitutes one of the individual's highest values, instilling pride and loyalty to the collective entity. The emotional components of nationalism, however, are also a cause for disruption and violence, as illustrated by the clashes and warfare that have occurred between different ethnic groups and tribes in Africa since the late 20th century.