Modern Nation Research Articles

AMY K. KAMINSKY. The Other/Argentina: Jews, Gender, and Sexuality in the Making of a Modern Nation. Albany, NY: SUNY Press, 2021. 244 pp.

Reseña de The Other/Argentina: Jews, Gender, and Sexuality in the Making of a Modern Nation de Amy K. Kaminsky.

Sammy Gronemann’s “Little Mirror”: Translating Tohuwabohu into Utter Chaos

Abstract Reflecting on her English translation of Sammy Gronemann’s novel Tohuwabohu (originally published in German in 1920), which was released under the title Utter Chaos in 2016, Penny Milbouer’s essay reconstructs the enthusiastic reception of the novel by Albert Einstein, a discerning and knowledgeable reader. Milbouer explores the resonance between Gronemann’s and Einstein’s perspectives on modern German Jewish identity, nationalism, and antisemitism. Her essay examines Einstein’s disillusionment with American Jews’ assimilationist tendencies and analyses reasons for the failure to recognize Gronemann’s satire. Delving into Einstein’s experiences with antisemitism in America, Milbouer describes his evolving views on Zionism, contrasting American and European Jewish identities in the “little mirror” of Gronemann’s novel. Her conclusion highlights the contemporary relevance of Gronemann’s satire and Einstein’s warnings about the persistence of antisemitism, confirming that American Jews cannot escape confronting their identity or responding to discrimination and persecution.

Till Death Do Us Part

The so-called Kulturkampf, the conflict between the German Reich and the Catholic Church in the 1870s and 1880s, is one of the most important ideological conflicts of the late nineteenth century and reveals a political theological dynamic characteristic of the modern (German) nation state. This paper analyzes the paradoxes of this conflict along the lines with Eric Santner’s analysis of political representations. During the Kulturkampf, Catholic citizens were publicly suspected of not being loyal Germans, and the Catholic Church is widely figured as an (inner) enemy in the liberal press and in modern caricatures. In these polemics, numerous political theological figures emerge: images of a gendered relation of domination of the (female) church by the (male) state, phantasies of the body politic and its precarious unity as well as of its purification respectively of the extermination of its others that continue to determine other ideological conflicts in the twentieth century.

Students’ performance, attitude, and classroom observation data to assess the effect of problem-based learning approach supplemented by YouTube videos in Ugandan classroom

In response to global demands, Uganda’s Vision 2040 seeks to transform the country into a modern and prosperous nation by implementing Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 4, focusing on equitable and quality education. The 21st-century workforce requires individuals who can effectively navigate complex workplace challenges. This dataset was gathered from Form-2 Ugandan secondary school students (aged 12 to 15) across 12 schools in the Sheema District. The dataset comprises three types of data: students’ performance in a physics topic (simple machines), their attitudes toward problem-solving and critical thinking when learning physics using Problem-Based Learning (PBL) supplemented by YouTube videos, and classroom observations documented with the reformed teaching observational protocol (RTOP). The intervention of teaching using PBL was executed in 2022, collecting data from 973 lower secondary school students. The intervention involved three approaches: one group (144 students) received PBL along with YouTube videos, another group of 482 students received PBL alone, and a third group (347 students) was taught using the traditional method. This data article explains the study’s data creation, collection, and analysis process. The dataset holds significance for secondary school teachers, policymakers, and researchers, offering insights into the impact of PBL with and without ICT resources on learning physics and students’ attitudes toward these learner-centered approaches.

Столицы сибирских автономий – миссия нациестроительства (динамика функций, статуса и этнизации городского пространства)

The implementation of the Soviet nation-building project assumed the decisive role of cities in the formation of nations - an urban product by definition. Within the framework of the ideology of institutionalization of ethnicity, they were appointed capitals of the created national autonomies and were endowed with the appropriate mission and resources. For the emerging or prearranged nations of Siberia those were either Russian cities in terms of population or new cities grown for this purpose on the basis of Russian villages. The rooting policy a tool for cultivating a titular cultural and political elite in them, building an urban infrastructure adequate to the status of the national capital. In the process of implementing this mission, cities with a special culture of relationships have been formed, with a greater regulating role of ethnicity than in ordinary capital cities. The general genesis predetermined the similarity of the capitals of the Siberian autonomous regions considered in the article - Ulan-Ude, Kyzyl, Abakan, Gorno-Altaisk. No less clearly visible are the differences that demonstrate the different results of the implementation of the standard national program. The reasons for these differences were starting resources (the presence of a city and an urban tradition, a European-educated titular elite with experience in political and cultural mobilization), a demographic factor, and a different role in national modernization development.

Government digital transformation, resource curse and green total factor energy efficiency in Chinese cities

In the age of digitalization, Government Digital Transformation (GDD) stands out as a critical gauge of a nation's modernization drive. It reflects the extent of modernization within the governance framework and acts as a central catalyst for improving governance efficiency and the overall modernity of the system. Against this backdrop, this study empirically investigates the impact of GDD on green total factor energy efficiency (GTFEE) from 2011 to 2020, focusing on prefecture-level cities in China. Using a two-way fixed-effects model, we analyze how GDD influences GTFEE. Additionally, we explore the mediating effect and threshold models to elucidate the mechanisms underlying the resource curse (RC). The findings of the study are as follows: first, GDD has a promoting effect on GTFEE; second, the promoting effect of GDD on GTFEE is more obvious in southern cities and fourth-tier cities; third, the RC plays a mediating effect in the relationship between GDD and GTFEE, specifically, GDD promotes GTFEE by suppressing the RC effect and then promotes GTFEE; fourth, the present study also identifies a RC threshold effect; when RC < 0.5127, the energy efficiency promotion effect of GDD is relatively limited, while when RC ≥ 0.5127, the promotion effect of GDD on GTFEE is significantly enhanced. These findings are of great value for understanding and optimizing the strategic significance of GDD in enhancing GTFEE. They provide a scientific basis and directional guidance for formulating and implementing related policies.

An Evolutionary Approach to Motivation and Learning: Differentiating Biologically Primary and Secondary Knowledge

The ubiquity of formal education in modern nations is often accompanied by an assumption that students’ motivation for learning is innate and self-sustaining. The latter is true for most children in domains (e.g., language) that are universal and have a deep evolutionary history, but this does not extend to learning in evolutionarily novel domains (e.g., mathematics). Learning in evolutionarily novel domains requires more cognitive effort and thus is less motivating. The current study tested the associated hypothesis that learning will feel easier and more motivating for evolutionarily relevant (e.g., “mother,” “food”) than evolutionarily novel (e.g., “computer,” “gravity”) word pairs and that a growth mindset emphasizing the importance of effort in learning might moderate this effect. Specifically, 144 adults were presented with 32 word pairs (half evolutionarily relevant and half evolutionarily novel) and were randomly assigned to a growth mindset or a control condition. Evolutionarily relevant words were better remembered than evolutionarily novel words (d = 0.65), and the learning was reported as more enjoyable (d = 0.49), more interesting (d = 0.38), as well as less difficult (d = − 0.96) and effortful (d = − 0.78). Although the growth mindset intervention fostered a mindset belief, compared to the control condition, it did not lead to improved recall performance or changes in motivational beliefs. These results are consistent with the prediction of higher motivation and better learning of evolutionarily relevant words and concepts than for evolutionarily novel words and concepts. Implications for future research and educational practice are discussed.

From “Resist Manchus” to “Anti-Japanese”

Nationalist thought existed in ancient China, and the traditional nationalist thought in China, including the late Qing Dynasty, carried strong “racism” color, which was used by the ruling class to distinguish between “foreign and domestic” and justify orthodoxy. During the Anti-Japanese War, due to the unprecedentedly serious national crisis, the nationalist thought of nationalism continued to awaken. Both the Kuomintang and the Communist Party advocated national unity and encouraged the army and the people in their own different ways. So far, the historical context of clarifying nationalist thought has obviously shifted from the contradiction between “Han people and barbarians” to the contradiction between the Chinese nation and foreign invaders. Therefore, it is not difficult for us to glimpse a modern context from the evolution of modern nationalist thought during the two Sino-Japanese War.

Rights of Nature in Wetlands – Transformative Change for Securing the Future of Wetlands Through Effective Restoration

Indigenous Peoples, local communities and non-profit organizations have been leading a growing global “Rights of Nature” movement that reconsiders the human-Nature relationship and returns to a recognition of Nature’s living beingness and inherent rights (Kaufman and Martin 2021; https://celdf.org/rights-of-nature/ accessed 21 October 2023). These perspectives have been shared by many cultures and societies throughout history and continue to be the foundation beliefs of many communities. This alternative attitude moves the human-Nature relationship from one of exploitation, depletion, degradation and loss to one based on relational values such as reciprocity, gratitude, and respect. For the populations of modern nation states, this perspective constitutes a paradigm shift that may lead to greater success in achieving conservation goals and support for restoration, regeneration, and re-wilding initiatives that might implement the recently agreed Global Biodiversity Framework (https://www.cbd.int/gbf/ accessed 20 October 2023).

Traditional Folk Clothes in the Dimension of Modern Nation Consolidation Processes

The article is devoted to folk culture, in particular, clothing as a powerful factor of national consolidation and expression of the mentality of Ukrainians in the war unleashed by russia. The pseudo-scientific narratives of russian scientists with the aim of destroying the identity and changing the consciousness of modern Ukrainians in support of the modern fascist regime of russia are considered. Emphasis is placed on the social (as a basic) criterion for understanding the role of the national dress, the embroidered shirt, in uniting our people during the Orange Revolution, the Revolution of Dignity, and russia’s war against Ukraine. In traditional culture, social and aesthetic functions in the contrast “friend or foe” embodied collective norms and aesthetics. This marking has acquired a new public, social meaning. Clothing is a representative of a person and their mentality. During the Revolution of Dignity, the embroidered shirt became an expression of the unity and resistance of the people of Ukraine on a national scale. In this period, the iconic function of national clothing, which defines Ukrainian belonging, is actualized. Using the example of the stories of the embroidery masters of Donetsk region, it is shown how the ethnic memory found a practical embodiment in the conditions of the war. They are united by a civic stance – to show that their land is primordially Ukrainian with a rich culture of folk clothing. For clothing researchers, these are very important facts as a source of understanding the modern functions of clothing. In particular, the informative function of embroidery is its cultural and social context, the author’s position regarding the russian war. This socio-cultural phenomenon powerfully characterises Ukrainian continuity and self-identity, and is therefore perceived by the occupiers as a weapon, just like the language and the entire heritage. Vyshyvanka is a symbol of indomitability and faith in victory for immigrants and those who survived the occupation. The article highlights the tendency to increase the value of the local heritage of the Little Motherland with its identification codes, which has determined the activities of many masters.

The Formation and Legal Status of the Crimean Democratic Republic (late 1917 – early 1918)

The article analyzes the events preceding the establishment of the Crimean Democratic Republic in 1917 and characterizes its legal status.&#x0D; The author establishes that the territory of Crimea was the core of the Crimean Khanate, which was annexed by the russian Empire in 1783 in violation of the Kyuchuk-Kainarji Peace Treaty. The century of the russian Empire’s domination of Crimea remains in history as the “black century”, which led to the depressed state of the Crimean Tatar people, which objectively raised the task of its social and national liberation, accelerating the process of transformation into a modern nation.&#x0D; It is established that in the 1880s the process of Crimean Tatar revival, i.e. the formation of a modern ethnonation, began. The impetus for this process was the creation of the first printed edition of the Crimean Tatar people, the enlightened public newspaper Terdzhiman in 1883. The next significant event in the struggle of the Crimean Tatar people for their independence was the creation of the organization “Vatan” in 1908 by Noman Çelebijihan.&#x0D; Based on the analysis of scientific publications, the author establishes that the national liberation movement in Crimea was the equivalent of the Ukrainian National Congress in April 1917. In particular, in 1917, several processes took place in Crimea: the democratic revolution, ukrainianization and the revival of Crimean Tatar national statehood. In December, the First Kurultai decided to establish the Crimean Tatar Democratic Republic and form the Crimean Tatar national government. The first democratic constitution of the Crimean Tatar people was created, which declared the principles of separation of powers, equality of all citizens before the law, freedom of religion, etc. However, in January 1918, the Bolshevik army seized the territory of the peninsula and began the Red Terror, which resulted in the termination of the Crimean Democratic Republic.

Early Modern Imaginations of the Nation and Their Insights: An Examination Centered on Liang Qichao and Liang Shuming

Chinese people have formed a rich vision of the “nation,” with Liang Qichao and Liang Shuming serving as representative figures, throughout the process of moving from “all under heaven” to “nation.” The two Liangs’ imaginations show different traits as well as consistency. The two Liangs’ modern national imaginations stand out for their interaction between “people” and “country” in terms of imaginative features. Regarding continuity, Liang Shuming’s rural building movement may be understood as the application of Liang Qichao’s theoretical vision. Nonetheless, the opposition faced by the rural building movement highlights the challenges this imagination has in attempting to come to pass. In light of the ‘national’ imagination and associated practices of early modern Chinese society, what becomes clear is that, against the backdrop of historical transitions, an idealistic national imagination can, in fact, serve as a conceptual basis for national construction as well as an uplifting and guiding force. However, the challenge and secret to creating a modern nation is understanding how to organize the “people” to forge a concrete bond with the “country.” Examining and considering these ideas and actual initiatives is still very significant for nation-building in the modern day.

The Nation-State and the (Re)Construction of Religious, Ethnic and Gender Relations

Nationalism, nationhood, and ethnicity, as Eric Hobsbawm argued, are social processes constructed essentially from above, yet cannot be understood unless also analyzed from below.1 Inspired by European Orientalism, the intellectual advocates of Western-oriented nationalism attempted to establish a new Iranian identity based on Persian language and Iran's pre-Islamic past.2 This made Iranian nationalism an attractive ideology for some political elites, and was later endorsed by the Pahlavi dynasty (1925–79) when nationalist ideology replaced Iranianness with Persianity. In this conception, there was no room for the ethnic diversity of a nation-state that is the heir of an ancient empire. The elites’ aspirations to uniformity put pressure on members of ethnic groups to conform their way of life to a new model of Iranianness, Persianized and pro-Western. Every nonconforming element was regarded as a sign of backwardness and possible threat to the modern nation and its territorial integrity.

Literature and the legacy of Empire: Approaching Turkey’s post-imperial condition through Ahmet Hamdi Tanpınar

How does literature engage with the legacies of Empire? This article examines how imperial decline and nation building are reflected in textual production after the First World War. With Turkey as a case study, it focuses on the post-imperial narrative as a form of narration dealing with the experience of imperial loss, political contingency and possibilities of national belonging. I argue that Turkey’s post-imperial condition is shaped by coming to terms with the loss of the Ottoman Empire, on the one hand, and a nationalising present embedded in the experience of Western-dominated modernity, on the other. Against this backdrop, I examine essays from the compilations Yaşadığım Gibi (1970, ‘As I lived’) and Beş Şehir (1946, ‘Five Cities’) by Ahmet Hamdi Tanpınar, a key intellectual of the early republican era. The analysis of these post-imperial narratives reveals how Tanpınar tries to root Turkey’s national modernity in selected elements of the imperial past. For Tanpınar, continuity with (Turkified) imperial heritage is a prerequisite for a strong nation-state.

The Maghreb, an Imaginary Community

The Maghreb without a doubt makes up a structure leaning on a certain number of strata and characteristics inherited from history where multiple socio, anthropological and political characteristics mingle and of which it is the result with a superimposition of diverse nomenclature. Outside some rare historical periods of its history marked by centralist self centered or external tendencies (Roman antiquity, Almohade period, or French colonization) and in spite of attempts operated by National movement fractions under its modern form, the Maghreb couldn’t reach political unity. Even if the region could look like an “imagined community”, it has never been able to make up a modern nation although some characteristics described by Benedict Anderson for that are found gathered together (existence of a printed language and capitalism, even mainly under its colonial form).We try to come back to the historical process of the ensemble to suggest some explanations for this state of facts.

Home Renovation as National Modernization: Colonial Fantasies and Postcolonial Aspirations in South African Township Tourism

Home Renovation as National Modernization: Colonial Fantasies and Postcolonial Aspirations in South African Township Tourism

&amp;quot;Independence&amp;quot; and &amp;quot;statehood&amp;quot; narratives in the modern Catalan-Spanish memorial confrontation

The author in this article analyses the features of the development of historical policy in modern Catalonia through the prism of the representation of the concepts of “independence” and “statehood” in the memorial culture of the regional society. The purpose of the study is to analyze the perception of the concepts of “statehood” and “independence” in modern Catalan memorial culture and historical memory. The author analyses the role and place of regional intellectual communities and political elites as the main participants in historical politics, defined as forms of development of Catalan nationalist imagination. The novelty of the study lies in the study of the current (modern) stage in the development of the historical politics of the regional Catalan society through the prism of development of of the concepts of “statehood” and “independence” in memorial culture, which stimulates a negative response from Castilian (Spanish) nationalists as opponents of the Catalan political project. It is shown that 1) the intellectual community in Catalonia is a systemic segment of modern nationalist political memorial culture, 2) the spectrum of memorial practices of regional intellectuals in Catalonia is limited mainly by their involvement in the development of civic identity through the prism of updating and visualizing the concepts of &amp;quot;statehood&amp;quot; and &amp;quot;independence&amp;quot; in public and political discourses, 3) &amp;quot;statehood&amp;quot; and &amp;quot;independence&amp;quot;concepts in historical imagination and memorial culture of modern Catalan nationalism are used to legitimize the political program of independence. It is assumed that the participation of regional intellectuals in memory wars actualizes the political, ideological and ethnic heterogeneity of society.

The Future Is History: Restorative Nationalism and Conflict in Post-Napoleonic Europe

AbstractAs illustrated by Russia's invasion of Ukraine, the recent revival of nationalism has triggered a threatening return of revisionist conflict. While the literature on nationalism shows how nationalist narratives are socially constructed, much less is known about their real-world consequences. Taking nationalist narratives seriously, we study how past “golden ages” affect territorial claims and conflict in post-Napoleonic Europe. We expect nationalists to be more likely to mobilize and initiate conflict if they can contrast the status quo to a historical polity with supposedly greater national unity and/or independence. Using data on European state borders going back to 1100, combined with spatial data covering ethnic settlement areas during the past two centuries, we find that the availability of plausible golden ages increases the risk of both domestic and interstate conflict. These findings suggest that specific historical legacies make some modern nationalisms more consequential than others.

Quality assured Ayush system: Bridging traditional wisdom with modern National Accreditation Board for Hospitals and Health-care Providers (NABH) standards

Quality assured Ayush system: Bridging traditional wisdom with modern National Accreditation Board for Hospitals and Health-care Providers (NABH) standards

The Historical Evolution and Practical Characteristics of People’s Discourse in the Past Hundred Years—An Investigation Based on the History of Ideas

In traditional political discourse, the acceptance of “the people” has become the criterion for judging political legitimacy, compared with Heaven, which cannot say anything and can only indicate by actions and things. The modern nation state is in an overall crisis, and the mass has become the cornerstone of the modern nation state. Entering the 21st century, the value implication and practical logic of “for the people, love the people, benefit the people”, which is the consistent principle of the Communist Party of China, has been further demonstrated. In the new era, on the basis of ceaseless and carrying forward the fine tradition of the Party’s mass line, the people’s view of the new era, which is more widely referred to as “people-centered” and “people first”, is determined. By sorting out the development and evolution process of the word “people” from the perspective of conceptual history and placing it on different historical coordinates, we can better grasp the discourse logic, evolution law and practical characteristics of the Communist Party of China’s view of the People in the new era.