Nationalist consciousness

Abstract

With what fearful compulsion do we return to it time and time again—like a tongue to a hollow tooth—this question of nationalism. As the potent 20th‐century ideology, nationalism—especially in its violent, exclusive context— remains a global blemish to peace activists everywhere. Nationalism forms part of the logic of history. It can read like a teleological, violent thriller. But to understand nationalism, we must examine the consciousness that underlies it.