Authenticity, Identity and Hegemony in the Context of Global Governance

Abstract

AbstractThe narrative of authentic national identity, as being immutable, transcendent and endowed with sacrosanct qualities, has been inculcated into the public consciousness of every nation and constitutes an essential feature of one’s self-awareness in relation to the outside world. This proclivity for national exclusivity impedes the collective advancement of global civil society and undermines the ongoing efforts at forging effective democratic institutions of global governance.Indeed, many societies blindly heed to the message of national exceptionalism and pledge allegiance to the integrity of their imagined community without critically scrutinizing their belief and understanding its consequences. First, in this article I argue that the notion of authentic national identity is fictitious because the concept of national identity is always fluid and constantly reconstructed. Second, the international community is functioning in the state of cognitive dissonance and therefore must recognize that in the era of globalization, nationalism has exhausted its social utility and is becoming increasingly detrimental to the welfare of global civil society.