Nationalism Research Articles

Vladimír Vernadskij o nemecko-rakúskej okupácii Ukrajiny v roku 1918

The article deals with the diaries as an important narrative source for historians in their study of the past. The diaries are a very peculiar type of source that is different from memoirs. Usually, the author writes his memoirs about the events that he lived through many years ago or he witnessed in the past. It is naturally that with the flow of time he may forget about something, miss something or recall something incorrectly; moreover, as it is known, in memoirs events of the past are reflected with a hindsight and that is why they do not always accurately reflect the feelings of the author at the time when these events took place. People’s attitudes towards the events can also change as the years go by. Moreover, human memory is very much selective. Unlike memoirs, the diaries allow us to understand the attitude of a particular human being to the surrounding world and contemporary events when he or she wrote about them. This has enormous value for the researcher. The diaries, as a type of historical document, are important precisely because they provide us not only with object of a historical process, in other words, what is being described, but also with insights about their authors who are present not as abstract depersonalized subjects of this process, but as living human beings with their merits and shortcomings, with their convictions and moods, their dreams and concerns. Moreover, the diaries provide unique material for the study of social psychology of people in concrete historical period. The author of diaries, which became the object of our attention, was Vladimir Ivanovich Vernadskyi (1863-1945), an outstanding Russian 20th century naturalist, geologist, biogeochemist, thinker and winner of the Stalin Prize, academician, creator of the doctrine of the biosphere, its evolution and transformation into the noosphere, who was one of the founders of the Ukrainian Academy of Sciences and its first President, as well as the founder of the National Library of Ukraine. Their main value of his diaries, in our opinion, is that they help to feel the atmosphere of the dramatic events of October Revolution and Civil War in Russia and Ukraine, allows us to restore the spirit of the revolutionary stormy years in all its tragedy and contradictions. As for the content of the great scientist’s diaries, a significant part of them consists of the facts of his personal life., but also a lot of space is devoted to his impressions and reflections on political events, in particular about the German and the Austro-Hungarian occupation of Ukraine in 1918. In his diaries, a negative attitude towards the Bolsheviks and socialist ideology, non-acceptance of manifestations of Ukrainian nationalism, and condemnation of the talentless policy of the Central Rada can be clearly traced.

Unruly Boys and Unemancipated Girls: Football Integration and Gendered Imaginaries of Difference

Sport–and particularly football–is commonly seen as a technology for targeting “at-risk” populations and cultivating happy multicultural communities. Using discourse theoretical analysis, this study explores the intersection of race and gender in the public relations materials for the annual Integration Prize awarded by the German Football Association (DFB) and Mercedes-Benz. In the prize texts, the national sport transcends difference to transform racialized populations, symbolizing the virtues of the national ethos. The prize narratives involve the transformation of disaffected and thus risky populations into happy, liberated, and productive multicultural assets to the national project. The overarching pedagogy focuses on self-discipline, social competency, and hard work. However, they diverge on crucial points across gender. The corpus singles out boys for deviant behaviors like aggression and criminality. Meanwhile, it targets girls for liberation from traditional patriarchal cultures that presumably dominate Muslim communities. Analysis shows that football integration discourse ignores both structural inequality–economic and ethnic–and the patriarchal gender norms that suffuse majority German football culture.

The systematics and nomenclature of the Dodo and the Solitaire (Aves: Columbidae), and an overview of columbid family-group nomina

Abstract The Dodo and its extinct sister species, the Solitaire, are iconic exemplars of the destructive capabilities of humanity. These secondarily terrestrial columbids became extinct within a century of their first encounter with humanity. Their rapid extinction, with little material retained in natural history collections, led 18th and some early 19th century naturalists to believe that these aberrant birds were mythological. This meant that the nomenclatural publications in which their scientific nomina were established were based on accounts written before the species became extinct. As such, no type specimens were designated for either the Dodo or the Solitaire. Our in-depth historical overview of both species and associated family-group nomina found that the nominal authority of the Dodo-based family group is not what is reported in the literature. Moreover, our detailed review of the family-group nomina based on columbid genera ensures that the current columbid family-group systematization is valid. Changing nomenclatural norms between the 19th and 20th centuries had a profound impact on Dodo nomenclature; so much so that the Dodo is an example of how pervasive nomenclatural ‘ripples’ can be and a warning for our current world of multiple nomenclatural codes.

The Rhetoric of the Body in BP Koirala’s Life Narratives

This paper examines the rhetorical significance of representing body in BP Koirala’s life narrative published in the form of an interview taken between 1979 to 1981. Using Kenneth Burke’s rhetoric of identification and Michel Foucault’s notion of body as the theoretical framework, the paper explores the motif of the narrator behind representing his body through his narrative among the contemporary intended audience. Koirala identifies with the public by means of the rhetoric of his body narrative. His motif behind the narrative is to showcase his national ethos through the pains and torments he had sustained in his body and to identify with the ethos of the general public thereby evoking civic national ethos. The study reveals that body can work as a powerful instrument in writing the life narrative that evokes the author’s sense of shared ethos.

The Politics of American Values in Barack Obama’s Life Narratives: A Rhetorical Analysis of National Ethos

Barack Obama weaves a sequence of his personal story rhetorically to evoke American national ethos, with a special emphasis on American values making them an integral part of his memoirs, especially his The Audacity of Hope (2006). This paper interrogates why he narrates the story of typical American values in his political memoir in general and ascertain them in a dedicated section titled ‘Values’ in particular to explore the implicit dimensions of his storytelling. Form the theoretical parameters of Walter R Fisher’s ‘narrative paradigm’ this paper contends that, by way of recognizing (assimilating or internalizing) typical American values, Obama prepares a ground for Fisher’s ‘narrative rationality’ to identify himself with American character and American people, and thereby evokes American national ethos to assume a statesmanship.

ETHIOPIA: ETHNIC CONFLICT AND TRAGEDY. A COMPREHENSIVE ANALYSIS OF THE HAMAR, KORO, AND ARBORE COMMUNITIES

Ethnic conflict is a prevalent issue in numerous countries worldwide, including Ethiopia. One common challenge faced by multi-ethnic federal states is the emergence of nation alism among ethnic-regional communities. Nevertheless, I contend that ethnic diversity alone is not typically the primary cause of ethnic conflict in Ethiopia. Considering these factors, the study centered on ethnic conflict among the semi-pastoral communities of Hamar, Karo, and Arbore. This study adopted a qualitative research approach and used informant interviews and survey methods to collect primary data and examine relevant literature from secondary sources. As a result, the study found that the desire for self-determination, competition for resources, arms smuggling and marginalization, lack of good governance, poor cultural traditions, and political interests are the factors driving destructive ethnic conflicts in the study area. Keywords: Conflict, Ethiopia, federalism, Karo, resources.

The Rhetoric of Origin: American National Ethos in Barack Obama's Dreams from My Father

This paper examines how Barack Obama ruminates on trials and tribulations from his past and ponders over his root in terms of biracial identity to explore his American ethos in his first memoir Dreams from My Father (1995). The paper argues that Obama struggles hard to locate his ethos out of the complexities of the relationships that his parents underwent in terms of their mixed marriages. Eventually he settles to his American identity, which is essentially biracial. From the perspective of Kenneth Burke's notion of 'identification', Obama evokes an awareness of American national ethos identifying with the American character as such and with this he explores his sense of purpose in life to be a public figure. He asserts that one of the fundamental characters of American national ethos is the biracial or multiracial that emanates from the contemporary American mixed society.

Efforts of Different Regimes in Kenya Toward National Cohesion and Integration, 1963-2022

Kenya like many states in the African continent is a multi-ethnic nation. Since its independence in 1963, Kenya has had challenges in putting together its communities. Conflict always arises as a result of the unequal distribution of resources among communities. This article will strive to unravel the efforts of different regimes in Kenya since its independence in achieving national cohesion and integration. The article argues for a rethinking of socio-economic policies through political goodwill and instilling national ethos, otherwise, the initiatives for national cohesion and integration will be in vain, stillborn, and frustrated across the nation. To adequately answer the above question, the researcher will be guided by this sole objective which is to examine the efforts of different regimes in Kenya toward achieving national cohesion and integration. The assumptions of the study will be, ethnic conflict is influenced by the context, typology of actors, and nature of the divergent interests sought for. The study is expected to offer a unique opportunity for policymakers to understand the political context and varied interests of various political players to not only predict the outcome but also determine the agenda-setting for national cohesion and integration in Kenya. The article adopted a qualitative approach by going through available literature on the subject matter to reach a logical conclusion. The author concludes by offering policy recommendations necessary for achieving national cohesion and integration in Kenya.

Abortions From a Clinical Social Aspect - A Historical View: The Case of the Jewish Society in Palestine During the Early 20th Century

The legality of abortions and the decreasing birthrate are topics that regularly emerge on the global public agenda, sparking intense social, legal, and political discussions. In 2019, Israel’s birthrate (the birthrate is defined as the number of births relative to the population) was 3.1 children per woman-the highest among OECD countries and surpassing that of many developing nations (excluding Africa). Several explanations account for this phenomenon, among them - the national ethos and geopolitical status of Israel, which necessitate demographic intensification. However, a historical perspective reveals that the Jewish society in Palestine during the British Mandate (1920- 1948) despite the national struggle that was at its peak, experienced low birthrates due to considerable number of abortions.

Problems of National Ethos in the Context of Factors of European Culture

Problems of National Ethos in the Context of Factors of European Culture

Finances of Centre for Distance Education, Osmania University in Telangana State

The distance and open learning has witnessed a tremendous progress in the recent past in India. The Directorate of Distance Education, Osmania University, Hyderabad, is one of the third biggest Universities of Andhra Pradesh. The Osmania University established in 1919, is the seventh oldest in the country, third oldest in South India and the first to be established in the princely State of Hyderabad. One of the basic ideals of Osmania University is to achieve an intellectual synthesis of oriental and occidental learning of the best that has been thought of and said, both in the East and in the West. Further, it aims at a cultural synthesis (as reflected in its architectural variety), the development of a national ethos and the creation of an academic and social environment in which ‘National Integration’ is not a nebulous idea but a tangible reality. The Vision of the University is to generate and disseminate knowledge through a harmonious blend of ancient and modern wisdom, and to serve the society by developing in students heightened intellectual, cultural, ethical and humane sensitivities to foster a scientific temper, and to promote professional and technological expertise. Central to this vision is a commitment to regional and national development in consonance with our culture, heritage and environment. The advantage of CDE of OU is location in the state capital and increased job potential due to number of industries, organizations, Universities, and institutions of state and national level. But owing to establishment of DECs of other Universities in Hyderabad, the enrolment has been gradually decreasing. In CDE of OU, the mean value of consolidated income is registered at high magnitude. Yearly variations in consolidated income are wild and wide but the growth rate in income is moderate. The average income from examination and ‘others’ is moderate. While average income from University is low, it reported high in the case of income from courses. The yearly variations in income are more pronounced in the case of courses and examinations while moderate trend is noticed in the case of income from University and ‘others’. Study material waste should be minimized. Study material shall get printed optimally. In other words, the study material shall be printed on demand-wise and need basis. An appropriate organization model at DEC level shall be developed. The suggested model is that under Director, there shall be two Deputy Directors and four Assistant Directors representing key areas of the administration.

Immigrants' Difficulties in Pursuing the American Dream Portrayed in Imbolo Mbue's Behold the Dreamers (2016)

As the national ethos of the United States, the American Dream promises a better life for all Americans, including immigrants. Yet, achieving it has not always been easy for them. This research reveals the difficulties that immigrants experience in pursuing the American Dream. This research employs a descriptive qualitative method, applying Terry Eagleton’s Marxist theory and Jim Cullen’s American Dream theory. This research aims to identify the versions of the American Dream that immigrants want to achieve and examine its difficulties stemming from the capitalist economic system. The results of this research found that there are six versions of the American Dream that immigrants want to achieve, including The Puritan Enterprise, Declaration of Independence, Upward Mobility, The Dream of Equality, The Dream of Home Ownership, and The Coast. This research also found that negative aspects of the capitalist economic system, including inequality, exploitation, alienation, and ideological power, become barriers for immigrants in pursuing the American Dream. The irony lies in perceiving the capitalist system as a means to achieve the American Dream, as it paradoxically creates barriers for immigrants. This research concludes that the American Dream does not truly promise a better life for everyone, especially immigrants facing socio-economic disadvantages.

Stylistic Confluences: the National Ethos and the Universal in the Artistic Development of Chopin, Enescu and Silvestrov

The model of Creation is one that reveals the usefulness, meaning, and beauty of “sharing”. Artistic creation, in the present study the musical one, is explained at least by the understanding, or knowledge beyond the individual limit of the creator, or by the precept of externalization, even if this is a revelation to a single being or to God. Frédéric Chopin, George Enescu and Valentin Silvestrov are composers who, in different periods, seek, in their artistic development, to value national elements, but also a way of integrating them into what is called „universal,” therefore an addressability that crosses country borders, towards a human space, that of the soul. Of different nationalities, Polish, Romanian and Ukrainian respectively, these musicians know and live in other cultures (Chopin and Enescu in Vienna and Paris, Silvestrov in Berlin), which help them to create in the spirit of a synthesis, a reinterpretation, a metaphor. In this way, we point to a mutual way of understanding the composition, determined by an informational-spiritual interchange, dialogue and national feeling. The confluences of knowledge and dialogue build personality, and the accumulation gives rise to the desire for a choice, to obtain one's own expression. The national feeling is the element that in this unique synthesis is an emblematic shade which transmits identity data in music, such as a physical location or one related to the sensibility of a people. The processing of national symbols does not constitute a constraint in the creation of the mentioned composers, because this transformation relates to a reception of the “other” who can come from any ethnicity or represent it in any place in the world. These observations can be explained in relation to the scores of some instrumental works (for solo piano and for violin and piano) by Chopin, Enescu, Silvestrov. The biographical data and the analysis of the works lead to the understanding of the musical style of each one, built from within itself, through the proximity of the self – “the other”, and in itself, through reformulation and rediscovery; but one's own style, which defines the self, also reveals itself to the “other”.

The political ideology underlying Israel’s national cultural heritage policy

ABSTRACT This article explores the historical processes, socio-political contexts, and ideological tendencies that underlie the development of the Heritage Plan, Israel’s official cultural heritage policy. I argue that the Heritage Plan does not merely invest in the conservation of tangible and intangible Israeli national heritage assets; in addition, it employs cultural heritage as an educational tool for creating a ‘unifying national ethos’ to ensure the continuous existence of Zionism – in the eyes of the policy’s architects. To understand the concrete manifestations of this policy in relation to its ideological roots, I adopted a critical discourse analysis lens to examine various data materials, including official documents and interviews. My findings lead to a direct connection between the Heritage Plan and the rise of a specific ideological interpretation of Zionism, which combines Anglo-American conservative concepts with selected political-Zionist ideas. This study retraces how conservative-Zionism informed the decision-making process behind the Heritage Plan’s creation and demonstrates how this ideology continues to influence the policy’s current implementation.

Post-Totalitarian Reconstruction: The Case of Venezuela

Venezuela has suffered for more than twenty years from a totalitarian regime determined to systematically demolish all orders of national life. Beyond the material and institutional devastation, the true core of the destruction is of a spiritual order: the regime has corroded the national ethos. The task of recovering the soul of the nation is more urgent and arduous than the immense work of material and institutional reconstruction.

PERANAN NILAI BUDAYA KEINSANAN KE ARAH PENGUKUHAN KESEPADUAN SOSIAL DALAM KOMUNITI PELAJAR INSTITUSI PENGAJIAN TINGGI

Social Cohesion is an important measurement for the achievement of unity among society in Malaysia, especially unity between ethnic groups. The National Cohesion Index (IPNas) 2018 shows that Social Cohesion has increased to a good level due to the influence of National Ethos and Cross-Ethnic Social Relations. This study aims to explore the direct influence of the Humanity Cultural Value variable on the National Ethos and Cross-Ethnic Social Relations towards strengthening Social Cohesion among Malay and Non-Malay students in public and private higher education institutions. The Humanity Cultural Value variable was developed from Al-Quran sources and operationalized into a universal value that is suitable as a value measurement for all ethnicities. A total of 445 respondents consisting of ethnic Malay, Chinese and Indian students were involved in this study. A snowball sampling technique was used to obtain voluntary student commitment through the student's social media community network. Descriptive statistical analysis was used to describe the demographics of the respondents while PLS-SEM analysis was employed to test the study's hypothesised model. The results of the overall analysis found that the appreciation of the Humanity Cultural Value significantly directly affects the National Ethos and Cross-Ethnic Social Relations as well as strengthening Social Cohesion. The Humanity Cultural Value is found to tend to increase the value of the National Ethos and Cross-Ethnic Social Relations for the Malay Ethnicity while the Humanity Cultural Value is more likely to increase the National Ethos for the Non-Malay Ethnicity. In conclusion, the Humanity Cultural Value is an important initiating factor to be moulded into the student’s community so that efforts to strengthen unity in the multi-ethnic society in the country will be empowered in a more focused manner.

Non-native plants observed in North America by 18th century naturalists

ABSTRACT Writings of 18th century naturalists provide a rich description of the flora, agricultural practices, and ecological and cultural landscape during the migration of large numbers of European and African peoples to North America. We employed a mixed methods approach to: 1) compare the percentages of non-native vs. native plant species recorded by the naturalists; 2) quantify the relative frequency of non-native plant species across eastern North America; and 3) qualitatively evaluate descriptions of non-native plants. The writings from nine naturalists in the 1700s document the introduction and establishment of many non-native plants across the North America. Higher proportions of non-native plant species were reported by naturalists who spent more time in densely populated human settlements. Agricultural crops had the highest relative frequencies for non-native plants in the 18th century. Non-native plants were described as being used during daily activities by humans, undergoing cultivation, growing abundantly on the landscape, and having weedy growth characteristics. Several of the non-native plants observed in the 1700s have subsequently developed into invasive species, which threaten the conservation of native North American flora.

Repugnant Precedents and the Court of History

Aged Supreme Court precedents continue to tolerate many practices that would shock modern sensibilities. Yet the Court lacks standard tools for phasing out decisions that offend our national character. The very cultural shifts that have reoriented our normative universe have also insulated most repugnant precedents from direct attack. And the familiar stare decisis factors cannot genuinely explain what ails societally outmoded decisions. Even for justices inclined to condemn these embarrassments in less clinical terms, it is unclear what qualifies courts to make universalist claims about contemporary American values. The Court recently sidestepped these difficulties by insisting that one of its most reviled decisions had been “overruled in the court of history.” In substituting rhetorical flair for analytical precision, however, the court-of-history trope threatens to destabilize the Court’s doctrines of horizontal and vertical precedent. This Article urges greater normality in implementing perceptions of national ethos. It first defends the inquiry’s legitimacy by recovering a longstanding judicial tradition of pronouncing specific practices abhorrent to modern cultural norms. It then underscores the project’s stakes by identifying an assortment of precedents that trudge along as ethical outcasts. After highlighting several tangible and expressive harms that these decisions can still inflict, I propose that the Court integrate its ethical judgments into the existing stare decisis framework. And I challenge the Court’s presumed incapacity to dislodge vestigial precedents. These relics may be difficult to pry loose, but we are not stuck with them forever.

‘EX PEDE HERCULEM’: SLOTHS, SLAVERY, AND SOUTHERN FOSSIL COLLECTION IN THE NINETEENTH CENTURY

ABSTRACT The Megatherium was thought to be a massive sloth-like creature that roamed different parts of the world including South America and coastal Georgia of the United States. Several nineteenth century naturalists collected and described fossilized remains of these large animals. Among those, the philosopher Samuel Latham Mitchell described them as ‘relics’ and new additions to the ‘giant brood’ of large animals in America. In his accounts, Mitchell did not acknowledge the original discoverers, enslaved African Americans. The discovery of the Megatherium in Georgia contributed to the discussion about distribution of those fossils; that discussion took place at venues such as the Lyceum of Natural History in New York. Using this case study, we seek to contextualize the importance of the Megatherium fossils collected in Georgia to the discourse about fossilized animals in the nineteenth century. The importance of slavery to fossil collecting in the South will also be analyzed.

A Review of Raf de Bont, Nature’s Diplomats: Science, Internationalism, and Preservation, 1920–1960. Pittsburgh: University of Pittsburgh Press, 2021, 373 pp.

“Nature’s Diplomats: Science, Internationalism, and Preservation, 1920–1960” (2021) by Raf de Bont, professor at the University of Maastricht, analyzes the long-term influence of ideas formulated in the first half of the 20th century for the international movement for nature conservation. As the author proves, the early 20th century naturalists and the nongovernmental organizations that they created exercised a decisive influence on the theory and practice of the international movement for nature protection throughout the 20th century. This influence is still noticeable in the early decades of the 21st century. The book shows that the “internationalism” of early organizations for nature conservation was rather limited, the social composition was far from inclusive, and the “scientific approach” was not as self-evident and ideologically neutral as we tend to think. The most influential figures in the international nature conservation were aristocratic landowners and the upper middle classes from leading urban centers of North-Western Europe and the east coast of the United States who had been trained and actively engaged in natural history.