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Visualising Nationhood

This article by Eric Kaufmann explores a grand theory of national identity, providing an agnostic re-source of changes, focusing on effects rather than causes. It builds upon the work of Zimmer, Hutchinson, and others to clarify major issues such as ideology and national identity, the "ethnic-civic" nations concept, and the relationship between individual and collective identity. The article also examines the optical metaphor and different lenses through which national identity can be viewed.

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Visualising Nationhood

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  1. Visualising Nationhood A Grand Theory of National Identity Eric Kaufmann, Birkbeck College, University of London

  2. A Grand Theory • Agnostic re source of changes • About effects rather than causes • Heuristic Device rather than positive theory • Builds upon work of Zimmer (2003); Hutchinson (2005); Confino and others

  3. Helps Clarify Major Issues • Ideology and national identity • 'Ethnic-Civic' Nations • 'Nations before Nationalism' • Universalism (Islam, Neoconservatism) as nationalism? • 'Nations as Zones of Conflict' (Hutchinson 2005) • Local vs National • Relationship between individual identity and collective identity (ie. 'consumption v production') • Ethnosymbolism: continuity of nations or revival of resources?

  4. Optical Metaphor • Referent: Frame of Reference for the Individual (Territory, Population). Can change for subjective and geopolitical reasons • Lenses: Ideologies, Location (Social, Geographic), Interests, Psychological predispositions • Resources: Landscape, History, Genealogy, Institutions, Values, Culture, Economy (Zimmer 2003)

  5. Ideology and Nationalism • Ethnic-Civic

  6. Lens: British Unionist Ideology

  7. Lens: Multicultural Ideology

  8. Collective representations of the nation are also ideologies • Must distinguish Ireland as referent from collective ideology of Irish national identity produced by intellectuals/elites, and this is then different from an individual's image of their Irish national identity • Can have individuals identifying with Ireland before the ideology of Irish national identity has crystallized • People may see Ireland through prism of other ideologies (i.e. Catholic, Unionist)

  9. Social Location: 'Nations as Zones of Conflict' (Hutchinson 2005) • Geographic Location: Local vs National

  10. Aristocratic-Upper Class Social Location

  11. Whig-Middle Class Social Location

  12. Relationship between individual identity and collective Identity

  13. Can locate the underpinnings of any theory • As well as elements which do not easily fit within established theories (i.e. ideology, social location)

  14. Read All About It…….. • 'The Lenses of Nationhood: An Optical Model of Identity', Nations and Nationalism, forthcoming • "Dominant Ethnicity and Dominant Nationhood: Empirical and Normative Aspects" in Lecours, A. and G. Nootens (eds.), Dominant Nationalism, Dominant Ethnicity: Identity, Federalism and Democracy (Berlin: Peter Lang, forthcoming) • http://www.sneps.net/NNE/n&e.htm

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