Siniša Malešević Grounded Nationalism and Cultural Diversity
1 Introduction
Nationalism is often perceived as an aberrant belief system and practice that goes against the dominant globalist and cosmopolitan ethos of the contemporary world. In journalistic and some academic accounts nationalism is regularly labelled as a relic of 19th century or as an attempt by the far-right populists to revert the course of history. In this context the pronounced visibility of recent populist and nativist movements has been dubbed ‘the neo-nationalist resurgence’ that goes against the grain of modern realities. However, in this chapter I challenge such views. I argue that rather than being a radical anomaly nationalism underpins the organisational, ideological and micro-interactional foundations of modernity. Hence the current instances of nationalist ideas and practices can only be properly understood if analysed through the historical prism of longue durée. Such a historically rooted analysis shows that nationalism has not experienced sudden rise but has been continually expanding over the last two hundred and fifty years. The intensity and strength of nationalism in modernity stems from the organisational and ideological dominance of the specific mode of polity that maintains a hegemonic position in the contemporary world – the nation-state.
1 Introduction
Nationalism is often perceived as an aberrant belief system and practice that goes against the dominant globalist and cosmopolitan ethos of the contemporary world. In journalistic and some academic accounts nationalism is regularly labelled as a relic of 19th century or as an attempt by the far-right populists to revert the course of history. In this context the pronounced visibility of recent populist and nativist movements has been dubbed ‘the neo-nationalist resurgence’ that goes against the grain of modern realities. However, in this chapter I challenge such views. I argue that rather than being a radical anomaly nationalism underpins the organisational, ideological and micro-interactional foundations of modernity. Hence the current instances of nationalist ideas and practices can only be properly understood if analysed through the historical prism of longue durée. Such a historically rooted analysis shows that nationalism has not experienced sudden rise but has been continually expanding over the last two hundred and fifty years. The intensity and strength of nationalism in modernity stems from the organisational and ideological dominance of the specific mode of polity that maintains a hegemonic position in the contemporary world – the nation-state.
1 Introduction
Nationalism is often perceived as an aberrant belief system and practice that goes against the dominant globalist and cosmopolitan ethos of the contemporary world. In journalistic and some academic accounts nationalism is regularly labelled as a relic of 19th century or as an attempt by the far-right populists to revert the course of history. In this context the pronounced visibility of recent populist and nativist movements has been dubbed ‘the neo-nationalist resurgence’ that goes against the grain of modern realities. However, in this chapter I challenge such views. I argue that rather than being a radical anomaly nationalism underpins the organisational, ideological and micro-interactional foundations of modernity. Hence the current instances of nationalist ideas and practices can only be properly understood if analysed through the historical prism of longue durée. Such a historically rooted analysis shows that nationalism has not experienced sudden rise but has been continually expanding over the last two hundred and fifty years. The intensity and strength of nationalism in modernity stems from the organisational and ideological dominance of the specific mode of polity that maintains a hegemonic position in the contemporary world – the nation-state.
1 Introduction
Nationalism is often perceived as an aberrant belief system and practice that goes against the dominant globalist and cosmopolitan ethos of the contemporary world. In journalistic and some academic accounts nationalism is regularly labelled as a relic of 19th century or as an attempt by the far-right populists to revert the course of history. In this context the pronounced visibility of recent populist and nativist movements has been dubbed ‘the neo-nationalist resurgence’ that goes against the grain of modern realities. However, in this chapter I challenge such views. I argue that rather than being a radical anomaly nationalism underpins the organisational, ideological and micro-interactional foundations of modernity. Hence the current instances of nationalist ideas and practices can only be properly understood if analysed through the historical prism of longue durée. Such a historically rooted analysis shows that nationalism has not experienced sudden rise but has been continually expanding over the last two hundred and fifty years. The intensity and strength of nationalism in modernity stems from the organisational and ideological dominance of the specific mode of polity that maintains a hegemonic position in the contemporary world – the nation-state.