Nations : The Long History and Deep Roots of Political Ethnicity and Nationalism

What Are The Origins Of Nationalism And Why Is It Capable Of Arousing Such Intense Emotions? In This Major Study, Azar Gat Counters The Prevailing Fashionable Theories According To Which Nations And Nationalism Are Modern And Contrived Or 'invented'. He Sweeps Across History And Around The Globe To Reveal That Ethnicity Has Always Been Highly Political And That Nations And National States Have Existed Since The Beginning Of Statehood Millennia Ago. He Traces The Deep Roots Of Ethnicity And Nationalism In Human Nature, Showing How Culture Fits Into Human Evolution From As Early As Our Aboriginal Condition And, In Conjunction With Kinship, Defines Ethnicity And Ethnic Allegiances. From The Rise Of States And Empires To The Present Day, This Book Sheds New Light On The Explosive Nature Of Ethnicity And Nationalism, As Well As On Their More Liberating And Altruistic Roles In Forging Identity And Solidarity-- 1. Is Nationalism Recent And Superficial? -- 2. The Evolution Of Kin-culture Communities -- 3. From Tribes To Statehood -- 4. Premodern Ethne, Peoples, States And Nations Around The World -- 5. Premodern Europe And The National State -- 6. Modernity: Nationalism Released, Transformed And Enhanced -- 7. State, National Identity, Ethnicity: Normative And Constitutional Aspects -- Conclusion. Azar Gat ; With Alexander Yakobson. Includes Bibliographical References And Index. Contents......Page 7 Acknowledgments......Page 9 1 Introduction: is nationalism recent and superficial?......Page 11 Ethnicity has always been political......Page 13 How deep did premodern ethnonational identity reach?......Page 20 The underlying dispute......Page 26 Ethnos and ethnicity......Page 28 Peoples......Page 32 Nation and national state......Page 33 Nationalism and patriotism......Page 36 2 The evolution of kin-culture communities......Page 37 Kinship and culture in the past 150,000 years......Page 39 Evolutionary inheritance and historical transformation......Page 47 Tribal growth and ethnic expansion......Page 54 From tribes to states......Page 66 State formation, tribal erosion, and ethnicity......Page 73 4 Premodern ethne, peoples, states, and nations around the world......Page 77 A Ethnos and city-state......Page 78 The cradle of civilization......Page 79 Phoenicians, Greeks, and Rome......Page 81 Premodern America, Africa, Asia, and Europe......Page 87 B The premodern national state......Page 93 Ancient Egypt: the first state - and first national state......Page 95 Nascent national states in the ancient Near East......Page 99 China: the largest and most enduring ancient people and state......Page 103 In the giant ́s shadow: national states around China......Page 113 C Were empires ethnically blind?......Page 121 From Assyria to Persia......Page 122 The Hellenistic and Roman empires......Page 128 The Arab, Ottoman, and Mughal empires......Page 132 Conclusion......Page 138 5 Premodern Europe and the national state......Page 142 Geopolitics: statehood in the Classical Mediterranean and in emergent Europe......Page 143 A The mushrooming of national states in emergent Europe......Page 150 The British Isles: a history of four nations......Page 153 Scandinavian identity and national identities......Page 164 The medieval German national empire......Page 169 The Czech lands......Page 173 The Polish national state and empire......Page 177 The Russian nation and the Russian Empire......Page 184 Conclusion......Page 192 Medieval national states and the clutches of empires in southeast Europe......Page 195 States, geography, and national consolidation in Romance southwest Europe......Page 204 The French paradigmatic case......Page 208 C Was the premodern European nation impossible due to religion, empire, dynastic rule, inequality, and dialect fragmentation?......Page 222 Religion and the nation......Page 230 Empire......Page 236 The dynastic national kingdom......Page 239 Sociopolitical inequality......Page 244 How deep was dialect fragmentation?......Page 246 Conclusion......Page 251 6 Modernity: nationalism released, transformed, and enhanced......Page 254 A The will of the people and the nation: what enabled what?......Page 256 The European national templates......Page 270 The European Union......Page 275 The English-speaking immigrant states: purely civic nations?......Page 278 Ethnicity and nation-building in Latin America......Page 290 Ethnicity and nation-building in sub-Saharan Africa......Page 296 Ethnicity and nation-building in the southeast Asian archipelago......Page 302 Ethnicity and nation-building in India and Pakistan......Page 307 Conclusion: civic versus ethnic nations?......Page 318 The audit of war: willingly killing and dying for one ́s nation......Page 323 The nation and the welfare state: for whom are people willing to pay?......Page 331 Conclusion: are the nation and nationalism here to stay?......Page 335 7: State, national identity, ethnicity: normative and constitutional aspects......Page 338 National identity and state......Page 339 Civic and ethnic nationalism......Page 340 ``The nation together with national minorities and ethnic groups ́ ́......Page 342 Civic nationalism: the French model......Page 347 Civic nationalism: models and dilemmas......Page 353 Immigrant communities......Page 359 ``Imperial nations ́ ́ and composite identities......Page 363 National self-determination and territorial integrity......Page 370 Postcolonial countries: ethnocultural diversity and ``the unity of the nation ́ ́......Page 373 Binational and multinational states......Page 377 Conclusion......Page 385 CONCLUSION......Page 390 1 Introduction: is nationalism recent and superficial?......Page 398 2 The evolution of kin-culture communities......Page 401 3 From tribes to statehood......Page 403 4 Premodern ethne, peoples, states, and nations around the world......Page 409 5 Premodern Europe and the national state......Page 419 6 Modernity: nationalism released, transformed, and enhanced......Page 430 7 State, national identity, ethnicity: normative and constitutional aspects......Page 442 Index......Page 445 Contents 7 Acknowledgments 9 1 Introduction: is nationalism recent and superficial? 11 Ethnicity has always been political 13 How deep did premodern ethnonational identity reach? 20 The underlying dispute 26 Concepts and definitions 28 Ethnos and ethnicity 28 Peoples 32 Nation and national state 33 Nationalism and patriotism 36 2 The evolution of kin-culture communities 37 Kinship and culture in the past 150,000 years 39 Evolutionary inheritance and historical transformation 47 3 From tribes to statehood 54 Tribal growth and ethnic expansion 54 From tribes to states 66 State formation, tribal erosion, and ethnicity 73 4 Premodern ethne, peoples, states, and nations around the world 77 A Ethnos and city-state 78 The cradle of civilization 79 Phoenicians, Greeks, and Rome 81 Premodern America, Africa, Asia, and Europe 87 B The premodern national state 93 Ancient Egypt: the first state - and first national state 95 Nascent national states in the ancient Near East 99 China: the largest and most enduring ancient people and state 103 In the giant ́s shadow: national states around China 113 C Were empires ethnically blind? 121 From Assyria to Persia 122 The Hellenistic and Roman empires 128 The Arab, Ottoman, and Mughal empires 132 Conclusion 138 5 Premodern Europe and the national state 142 Geopolitics: statehood in the Classical Mediterranean and in emergent Europe 143 A The mushrooming of national states in emergent Europe 150 The British Isles: a history of four nations 153 Scandinavian identity and national identities 164 The medieval German national empire 169 The Czech lands 173 The Polish national state and empire 177 The Russian nation and the Russian Empire 184 Conclusion 192 B Southern versus northern Europe 195 Medieval national states and the clutches of empires in southeast Europe 195 States, geography, and national consolidation in Romance southwest Europe 204 The French paradigmatic case 208 C Was the premodern European nation impossible due to religion, empire, dynastic rule, inequality, and dialect fragmentation? 222 Religion and the nation 230 Empire 236 The dynastic national kingdom 239 Sociopolitical inequality 244 How deep was dialect fragmentation? 246 Conclusion 251 6 Modernity: nationalism released, transformed, and enhanced 254 A The will of the people and the nation: what enabled what? 256 B Civic nations or ethnic nations? Europe, the English-speaking immigrant countries, Latin America, Africa, and Asia 270 The European national templates 270 The European Union 275 The English-speaking immigrant states: purely civic nations? 278 Ethnicity and nation-building in Latin America 290 Ethnicity and nation-building in sub-Saharan Africa 296 Ethnicity and nation-building in the southeast Asian archipelago 302 Ethnicity and nation-building in India and Pakistan 307 Conclusion: civic versus ethnic nations? 318 C National conflict and solidarity in a globalizing world 323 The audit of war: willingly killing and dying for one ́s nation 323 The nation and the welfare state: for whom are people willing to pay? 331 Conclusion: are the nation and nationalism here to stay? 335 7: State, national identity, ethnicity: normative and constitutional aspects 338 National identity and state 339 Civic and ethnic nationalism 340 ``The nation together with national minorities and ethnic groups ́ ́ 342 Civic nationalism: the French model 347 Civic nationalism: models and dilemmas 353 Immigrant communities 359 ``Imperial nations ́ ́ and composite identities 363 National self-determination and territorial integrity 370 Postcolonial countries: ethnocultural diversity and ``the unity of the nation ́ ́ 373 Binational and multinational states 377 Conclusion 385 CONCLUSION 390 Notes 398 1 Introduction: is nationalism recent and superficial? 398 2 The evolution of kin-culture communities 401 3 From tribes to statehood 403 4 Premodern ethne, peoples, states, and nations around the world 409 5 Premodern Europe and the national state 419 6 Modernity: nationalism released, transformed, and enhanced 430 7 State, national identity, ethnicity: normative and constitutional aspects 442 Index 445 "What are the origins of nationalism and why is it capable of arousing such intense emotions? In this major study, Azar Gat counters the prevailing fashionable theories according to which nations and nationalism are modern and contrived or 'invented'. He sweeps across history and around the globe to reveal that ethnicity has always been highly political and that nations and national states have existed since the beginning of statehood millennia ago. He traces the deep roots of ethnicity and nationalism in human nature, showing how culture fits into human evolution from as early as our aboriginal condition and, in conjunction with kinship, defines ethnicity and ethnic allegiances. From the rise of states and empires to the present day, this book sheds new light on the explosive nature of ethnicity and nationalism, as well as on their more liberating and altruistic roles in forging identity and solidarity"-- Provided by publisher "What are the origins of nationalism and why is it capable of arousing such intense emotions? In this major study, Azar Gat counters the prevailing fashionable theories according to which nations and nationalism are modern and contrived or 'invented'. He sweeps across history and around the globe to reveal that ethnicity has always been highly political and that nations and national states have existed since the beginning of statehood millennia ago. He traces the deep roots of ethnicity and nationalism in human nature, showing how culture fits into human evolution from as early as our aboriginal condition and, in conjunction with kinship, defines ethnicity and ethnic allegiances. From the rise of states and empires to the present day, this book sheds new light on the explosive nature of ethnicity and nationalism, as well as on their more liberating and altruistic roles in forging identity and solidarity"-- Résumé de l'éditeur A groundbreaking study of the foundations of nationalism, exposing its antiquity, strong links with ethnicity and roots in human nature