Theories of Nationalism,

Overview and Relevance to Central

Asia

by Rob Kevlihan
Presented at Billim / Central Asia Research Center seminar series, Almaty,
Kazakhstan, 25th March 2006 and at Billim / CARC Reset Seminar: Teaching
Excellence in Political Philosophy, Lake Issykul, Kyrgyzstan, 9th May 2006
Defining Nationalism
Relationship between a community and the
state
That community often (but not always)
compromises a particular ethnic group
“Nation-state”
“Nation-state” and governance
Complexity of governance arrangements
Multi-ethnic empires or states, often with one dominant
group
Ethnic groups split between two or more states (With
state control: Korea, Germany; without state control:
Kurds; as a majority in one state and a minority in
neighboring states)
Creation of new, overlapping identities – UK, Belgium,
Canada
Collapse or reformulation of political structures and
resultant opportunities for new governance
arrangements – USSR, Yugoslavia, Czechslovakia,
Ethiopia / Eritrea, Indonesia / East Timor
Theories of Nationalism
Primordialism
A people have always existed in a particular place and
after many years of struggle have established / will
establish an independent state
Largely viewed as a „straw man‟ in the literature, But, it
can reflect popular views of the state, particularly if
promulgated through the educational system, official
media etc.
Can be contrasted with theories that argue that
nationalism is a purely modern phenomenon
Theories of Nationalism
Nationalism and industrialization (Gellner &
Hobsbawn)
Industrial revolution in western Europe in 19th century
led to mass movements of populations from rural to
urban areas and new forms of associational life
Also led to a massive expansion of state capacity and
penetration of society – e.g. through educational system
Nationalism arose from these changes
Theories of Nationalism
Imagined Communities (Anderson)
Also a function of modernity, but origins earlier – from
invention of the printing press
Nationalism developed in different ways in different
places (linguistic, official and creole nationalisms)
Creole the first form in the Americas; official and
linguistic first arose in Europe
Largely a socially constructed and modern phenomenon
– „imagined communities‟
Theories of Nationalism
Ethno Symbolism (Smith)
Middle road – idea of ethnie
Recognizes the importance of modern
processes but
Symbols and artifacts of an ethnic group are
important – content matters
Element of continuity but not primordialist
Theories of Nationalism
Post-modern critique
Danger of any dominant meta narrative
Group formation and the role of the other
Identity need not be either / or
Idea of civic nationalism
Theories of Nationalism
Chatterjee
„Fragments of nationalism‟ – multiple stories and
imaginings instead of one all powerful hegemonic
nationalism in any given locale
Gender critique
Enloe - inherently genderized and indeed, male, origins
and influences on nationalism
Yuval-Davis –but role of women in passing on values
between generations and use of womanhood to support
nationalist discourse.
Theories of Nationalism
Relational analysis
Brubaker – triangle between governing state,
alternative nationalism of minority within that
state and nationalism of neighboring state that
has affinity with the minority
Typology: Minority, homeland and
nationalizing nationalisms
Nationalism and the state
Relationship between nationalism and the state
largely depends on theoretical approach adopted
towards nationalism itself and conceptualization
of state / society relations
Primordialist approach emphasizes the inherent
coherency of a particular society - the state derives
itself from that coherency
Smith – more nuanced, but essentially the
presence of an ethnie lends itself to state formation
Nationalism and the state
Gellner – statist approach – it is the state itself that
uses nationalism to create societal coherency. Joel
Migdal – nationalism a means of binding society
to the state
Anderson – nationalism largely elite driven.
Whether it contributes to state coherency or not
depends on the personal experiences (pilgrimages)
and imaginings of elites in the first instance, and
ultimately on collective imaginings at the societal
level.
Relevance to Central Asia
Modern origins of state boundaries as a result of
Soviet nationality policies
Dominance of titular nationalities in each of the
states but presence of other ethnic groups – both
from neighboring states and from other parts of
the former Soviet Union
State building policies of new states – language
policies, state symbolism, nationality requirements
and continued use of ethnic markers (e.g. ID
cards)
Relevance to Central Asia
But – given demographic realities, is a single
ethnic group / dominant model most appropriate?
Scope for civic nationalism and inclusive systems
Civic nationalism as a process
Critique of usual examples – the US and France
Possibility of adapting from ethno-nationalist
frame to a more civic oriented frame? e.g Ireland.