NATIONS AND NATIONALISMS SEU 2310 Introduction to TypologiesGroupism

NATIONS AND NATIONALISMS SEU 2310 Introduction to Typologies/Groupism

Typologies Staatsnation/Kulturnation (F. Meinecke) Western/Eastern (Hans Kohn) � Neo-orientalist Civic/Ethnic � No less problematic Other dichotomies: banal/manifest, liberal/illiberal, good/bad

Typologies (con’t)

Typologies (con’t) Difficult to label as completely one or other Proposed that the types are better used to classify certain elements, not whole states or movements Civic nation not the triumph it appears to be Political act to label states or movements as Civic or Ethnic � Ascribed legitimacy/illegitimacy, good/bad nature

Ambiguities of Types What is “ethnic” about ethnic nationalism? � Ethnicity If we’re talking about shared culture, almost all nationalisms would be considered ethnic Is the “civic” nation really a voluntaristic assoc of culturally unmarked individuals? � Then as descent or shared culture? even France and USA can’t be examples Anthony D. Smith: “myth, memories, values and symbols” characteristics of ethnic nation � Characteristics of civic as well?

Ambiguities of Types (con’t) B. Anderson: language, not blood, as the most important aspect of nation � Can “ethnic” = “linguistic”? All understandings of nationhood and nationalisms are both inclusive & exclusive Civic, not more inclusive, differently inclusive (and exclusive) � Citizenship limited � Subscribers to political creed

Ambiguities of Types (con’t) Voluntaristic Vs. Ascriptive also problematic Civic not entirely voluntary Ethnic not completely w/o choice Chosenness and givenness are not strict oppositions Choices are only meaningful in the context of possible choices on offer, and what those choices can mean

Typologies from Brubaker Brubaker proposes another classification: “state-framed” vs “counter-state” State-framed: state, not citizenship as focus ∴ not inherently civic (often with strong cultural content) Counter-state: not necessarily ethnic; can be based on territory, privledges, distinct political history (may have civic qualities) Nationalizing nationalisms Polity-seeking/polity-upgrading nationalisms

Ethnicity without Groups Groupism: taking “groups” for granted in the study of ethnicity, race, nationhood � Essentializing � Reifying � Basic constituents of social life Most social theory sees groups as constructed, contingent, fluid � Relational approaches � Post Modern approaches Yet, social groups continue to be understood as actors (esp. in instances of conflict)

Ethnicity without Groups (con’t) Ethnic commonsense Does ethnic conflict = conflict between ethnic groups? Performative character of groups (Bourdieu): by invoking groups, ethno-political entrepreneurs summon them into being � Producing what you decribe

Beyond Groupism Rethinking Ethnicity � Express groups in processual, dynamic terms � Nationalization as political, cultural, psychological process � Don’t take group as entity; look at groupness as variable The Reality of Ethnicity � Not discounting the significance of ethnicity or nationhood; just imagining power and significane in a different way � People using these categories = real, meaningful � Things signified by categories = not necessarily real

Beyond Groupism (con’t) Groupness as Event � Treating groupness as something that happens � Conversely, groupness may NOT happen � REMEMBER: negative instances can occur Groups and Categories � Careful distinction between groups and categories � Problematize, not presume, relation between them � “How do people do things with these categories? ”

Beyond Groupism (con’t) Group Making as Project � Social, cultural, political project aimed at making categories into groups OR increasing levels of groupness � Dramatic events also galvanize group feeling Groups and Organizations � Organization and individuals invested with authority as chief protagonists � Representativeness: degree to which org. can claim to represent the will and interests of its constituents/enjoy active or passive support → extremely variable

Beyond Groupism (con’t) Framing and Coding � Framing does not just interpret violence as ethnic, it constitutes it as such � Power/relevance of nation/nationhood encourages people to categorize violence as national Ethnicity as Cognition � Fundamental ways of perceiving the world � Classifications and categories that shape experience � “How are these frames constructed? ”