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Imagined communities detailed summary
Imagined communities benedict anderson summary
Imagined communities detailed summary
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Benedict Anderson 's Imagined Communities is a thoughtful and interesting look at nationalism and its evolution over the course of the last few centuries. Anderson’s thoughts regarding imagined communities and his definition thereof, that imagined communities are “an imagined political community-and imagined as both inherently limited and sovereign” (p.6) pairs nicely with his argument that changing notions of language and the advent of print capitalism are the foundation on which current ideas about nations, nationhood and nationalism are built. Although at times heavy on the historical development of nationalism, Anderson’s main argument, that print capitalism and its ability to unify the masses through a common discourse, changed the way …show more content…
This nationalism, which Anderson refers to as long- distance nationalism is a type of nationalism that is not dependent on a “territorial location in a home country” (Anderson, 2001, p.42). Long distance nationalism sees individuals identify strongly with the country in which they were born, yet live in another, with no plans on living in the former. Anderson explains that due to the internet, electronic banking and cheap airfare these individuals have significant influence regarding the politics of their home country (Anderson, 2001, p.42).
Benedict Anderson’s Imagined Communities has definitely provided much food for thought. His arguments are well supported and make sense even now, when attempting to draw parallels between what nationalism meant in the past, what it means now and what it will mean in the future. From the advent of the printing press to the rise of the internet, imagined communities have expanded exponentially and if the past is any indicator of the future, they will continue to do so well into the
"The Nationalism Project: Ernest Renan Defining the Nation." The Nationalism Project. http://www.nationalismproject.org/what/renan.htm (accessed April 4, 2014).
Nationalism has been a potent force for change since the development of human civilization. However, opinion about the extent to which nationalism may be appropriately pursued is highly diverse, a factor that has led to immense tragedy and suffering in countless regions worldwide. While it is both appropriate and sometimes encouraged to take pride in being part of a nation, it is of the utmost importance that it is done without harming or subjugating people of another. Uniting a people by force and potentially eliminating or destroying those who may oppose it or not belong to it is unacceptable ethically, morally, and socially.
Throughout the years, humans have constructed many unique civilizations; all which follow a distinct social, economic, and political structure. Even so, there is one characteristic that prevails among these societies, the concept of nationalism. In short, nationalism refers to the feelings people have when identifying with their nation. This simple notion possesses the ability to divide or unite collective groups, and has played an important role in many historical events.
“Nationalism is the belief that people’s greatest loyalty should not be to a king or an empire but to a nation of people who share a common culture and history” (McDougal 253). Before the 18th century, people of a common ethnicity accepted the king that ruled over them, even if he was from a different nation. However, after the French Revolution of 1830, smaller groups of people who shared the same history and culture began to form together and create a nation-state. The rise of nationalism in the 19th century changed Europe’s borders as nationalists strengthened and unified nations such as England and Italy, but also separated large empires like the Russian Empire.
Nationalism has a long history although most scholarly research on Nationalism only began in the mid-twentieth century. Some scholars point to the French Revolution of 1789 as the birth of Nationalism. The French Revolution is seen...
In “The man behind Abercrombie and Fitch.” An interview conducted by Benoit Denizet-Lewis displays a glimpse into the life of Mike Jeffries and his views of his company only hiring “good-looking” people and targeting “good-looking” people to wear his clothes. This has been done in order to force his audience to recognize that the issue of acceptance one’s peers and exclusion of a community mentioned by Mike Jeffries, is a result of cultural perceptions and individual self-image. Denizet-Lewis skillfully shows that while Jeffries remarks of not wanting the “not-so-popular” kids to shop in his stores, it poses a question to consumers asking what change in our attitudes will come or if there will be any change at all. Thus comes the issue of how consumers today have a shift in the reasoning behind why one buys clothing and the motivating factors that influence one to buy certain clothing. Denizet-Lewis also demonstrates the different messages that controversial advertisements and statements affect different groups of people and how what they project is really what people desire, though deemed by many people as unacceptable or inappropriate. The author also examines how in the news media, the image has become more important than the message and how images have taken precedent over actual issues and character. As a result of this, various communities have formed by the construct of selling to “beautiful people” and how popular appeal has become an extension of a person.
Nationalism is way of thinking both political and socially to create a community united by: history, ethnicity, religions, common culture, and language. Numerous effects occurred while establishing a Nationalist community, some effects were a long term impact on Nationalism, and other was short term impacts on Nationalism.
Nationalism at its core is the support of a country. The goal of a country is to have some sort of resonance within the individuals that reside there that call themselves citizens. If the citizens don’t feel any connection with their country, they may move to find one that they feel closer too. Once found, they may support the country over others, defend it within conversations of politics or just find groups that have the same ideals they do about the country. This papers purpose is to illustrate the pros of nationalism as well as its cons.
Nationalism is extreme loyalty and devotion to one particular nation, and many Americans are nationalistic about their country. But even though they are loyal to America, defining what it means to be a true American is tricky. Being American is one complex thing, but the concept of being American can not be fully grasped. What it means to be American may in fact be one of the biggest mysteries of all time. Indeed, discovering what it means to be a true American could possibly take an entire lifetime. One thing, however about all true Americans is certain: we are all alike in that each one of us is different from the Americans in important ways. We are diverse in our backgrounds, races, and religions. Nevertheless, we are exactly identical in the we feel toward our country, even though we express our pride in a million different ways.
Many different theoretical approaches exist to study the rise of nationalism throughout history. One approach is primordialism. Primordialism states that nationalism is a natural part of human beings. This field contends that distinct nations have existed since the dawn of time. Primordialism is also described as nationalism is created by people being surrounded by distinct cultural features like religion, custom, and language. This view believes that nations are unchanging and primordial from their beginning (Özkirimli 2000, 64-65). Thus, ethnic and national ties are given at birth. One subset of primordialism is the perennalist approach. This approach believes that modern nations are clear descendants of their
The most important value of nationalism to democracy lies in the fact that it has the capacity to unite individual citizens into a single entity with shared beliefs. Democracy requires a definition of demos or who are included in the game and who are not (Nodia 6). Wherever the boundaries of the playing field are in dispute, democratic institutions (such as participation, representation, or cooperation) simply cannot function. Thus, for democracy to o...
This creates debates about which factors scholars should focus on for any given form of nationalism. Should scholars take a primordialist approach and focus on kinship ties, myths of ancestry, and instinctual loyalty? Or, should scholars take a situationalist approach focus upon changing economic and political factors which influence the rational decisions of individuals? Or, should scholars study nationalism as an ideology and explain the role of the state as an ideological enforcer and the role nationalism plays in securing the insecure masses? In certain cases people may think it is adequate to take all of the separate theories into considerations, mixing primordialist ideas of instinctual loyalty and myths of homeland with constructivist ideas of constructed national identity. Others argue that it is necessary to not combine the three separate approaches but to study each one to attempt to figure out which one can provide the deeper understanding. This means that when analyzing nationalism, the frameworks for nationalism are always being compared and contrasted to figure out which one can offer a better and deeper understanding; alluding to nationalist theories having different utilities in separate situations. However, when discussions of nationalism mix primordialist ideas of instinctual loyalty, situationalist ideas of rational interest and constructivist ideas
Nationalism is the idea that a people who have much in common, such as language, culture and geographic proximity ought to organize in such a way that it creates a stable and enduring state. Nationalism is tied to patriotism, and it is the driving force behind the identity of a culture. Nationalism had many effects in Europe from 1815, The Congress of Vienna and beyond. In the following essay I will describe many of the consequences of nationalism on European identity, as well as some of the conflicts that it created.