The Contested Terrain of Nations, Nationalism and National Identity

Abstract

The definition of nations, nationality and nationalism are fiercely contested, and remain ambiguous and opaque, despite the proliferation of a sophisticated nationalism scholarship over the past forty years. This contestation and ambiguity, it is argued, does not arise exclusively or even mainly for intellectual reasons. Rather, they derive from sociological, linguistic and political factors that circumscribe the intellectual parameters within which debates about nations and nationalism occur. These are examined in the context of their historical development, with their political and intellectual effects being identified. The chapter continues by discussing some of the most important classical (nineteenth- and early twentieth-century) approaches to these issues (Marx, Mill, Renan, Durkheim and Weber), identifying their strengths, weaknesses and contemporary relevance. The final part of the chapter classifies and critically analyses five contemporary approaches to conceptualizing nations, nationalism and national identity. This analysis and immanent critique inform the elaboration of my own analytical terminology, which is summarized in the concluding remarks.