Premodern ethnic core and modern nation

Abstract

The basic question in the text refers to the existence of continuity between the premodern ethnic core and the modern nation. Understanding of the origin of the nations in its essential points is conditioned by the way of solving this problem. Modernists consider that the continuity is at the most only the fruit of construction. Thus the connection between the premodern ethnicity and nation for Hobsbawm is the fruit of invented tradition, for the Gellner it is fabricated, or as Anderson puts it is imagined. Taking in consideration real historical context however it appears that the role of the ethnic cores in building modern nations, especially Europe nations is essential. From culture, as the support and the foundation of the collective identity of the ethnic community has developed two basic processes of forming nations in the west and east Europe. Neglecting the ethnic role at the same time means overlooking the importance of culture inheritance as the important factor of establishing specific differences between nations.