Nationalism

Political concept in which a group of people living in the same area derives a common identity from shared governance. Nationalism is what causes the people of a territory to recognize one another as sharing the same general goals and encourages them to work [Page 507]together toward those goals honoring that nation above all others. It is also what gives the government legitimacy and allows it to make decisions in the name of the citizenry.

Characteristics of Nationalism

Nationalism stands in contrast to group identity based on race, ethnicity, language, or religion. However, any or all of these elements can be associated with the nationalism of a particular country. For example, most modern European countries arose from related linguistic and ethnic groups. Thus, shared language and ethnicity play a role in the nationalism of those states. By contrast, the borders of most modern African states were drawn by European colonial powers in the 1800s, ignoring the local distribution of ethnic and linguistic groups. As a result, many of these nations contain several distinct—and often historically hostile—groups that compete for power and resources. This has been the source of much of modern Africa's instability.

Nationalism in the United States stemmed largely from the shared economic and political sentiments of British colonists in 18th century North America. American merchants and manufacturers were opposed to British laws that restricted what kinds of goods the colonies could produce and with whom they could trade. The practice of billeting British soldiers in colonial homes and forcing the colonies to pay for the soldiers' expenses also rankled many Americans. These grievances united colonists who disagreed over other issues such as slavery or religious practice.

Factors other than economics and politics also played a unifying role in colonial America. Americans were mostly white and European, and many of those who were not were slaves. In addition, although the religious affiliations of Americans included a wide variety of sects, most of them shared basic Christian beliefs. No other major religion competed for Americans' faith. These additional factors provided a broad base of common support for U.S. nationalism.

Nationalism has psychological as well as physical dimensions. It can include love of one's state or nation, but can also extend to a feeling of superiority over other states or nations. Nationalism can reflect the sentiment of different peoples sharing a common identity within a state or peoples with different identities seeking to found a new state of their own. It can lead to calls to unite against an outside enemy that threatens the common identity or calls to rid the state of perceived enemies within. Although nationalism has often led to great sacrifice and patriotism, it has also been used to justify repression, ethnic violence, and genocide.

Forms of Nationalism

Two major forms of nationalism include large group identity and inclusion, and small group identity and separation. The first brings disparate peoples together into a common state; the second exists when a group or groups of people within a state seek to separate from it. Both forms of nationalism have had positive and negative effects, historically, and both have the potential to reduce or inflame security concerns.

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