Cultural nationalism
Encyclopedia
Cultural nationalism is a form of nationalism
in which the nation
is defined by a shared culture
. It is an intermediate position between ethnic nationalism
on one hand and liberal nationalism on the other.
Cultural nationalism will thus focus on a national identity
shaped by cultural traditions and by language, but not on the concepts of common ancestry or race
.
"Cultural nationalism" does not tend to manifest itself in independent movements, but is a moderate position within a larger spectrum of nationalist ideology.
Thus, moderate positions in Flemish, Hindu
nationalisms can be "cultural nationalism" while these same movements also include forms of ethnic nationalism
and national mysticism
.
Nationalism
Nationalism is a political ideology that involves a strong identification of a group of individuals with a political entity defined in national terms, i.e. a nation. In the 'modernist' image of the nation, it is nationalism that creates national identity. There are various definitions for what...
in which the nation
Nation
A nation may refer to a community of people who share a common language, culture, ethnicity, descent, and/or history. In this definition, a nation has no physical borders. However, it can also refer to people who share a common territory and government irrespective of their ethnic make-up...
is defined by a shared culture
Culture
Culture is a term that has many different inter-related meanings. For example, in 1952, Alfred Kroeber and Clyde Kluckhohn compiled a list of 164 definitions of "culture" in Culture: A Critical Review of Concepts and Definitions...
. It is an intermediate position between ethnic nationalism
Ethnic nationalism
Ethnic nationalism is a form of nationalism wherein the "nation" is defined in terms of ethnicity. Whatever specific ethnicity is involved, ethnic nationalism always includes some element of descent from previous generations and the implied claim of ethnic essentialism, i.e...
on one hand and liberal nationalism on the other.
Cultural nationalism will thus focus on a national identity
National identity
National identity is the person's identity and sense of belonging to one state or to one nation, a feeling one shares with a group of people, regardless of one's citizenship status....
shaped by cultural traditions and by language, but not on the concepts of common ancestry or race
Racialism
Racialism is an emphasis on race or racial considerations. Currently, racialism entails a belief in the existence and significance of racial categories, but not necessarily that any absolute hierarchy between the races has been demonstrated by a rigorous and comprehensive scientific process...
.
"Cultural nationalism" does not tend to manifest itself in independent movements, but is a moderate position within a larger spectrum of nationalist ideology.
Thus, moderate positions in Flemish, Hindu
Hindutva
Hindutva is the term used to describe movements advocating Hindu nationalism. Members of the movement are called Hindutvavādis.In India, an umbrella organization called the Sangh Parivar champions the concept of Hindutva...
nationalisms can be "cultural nationalism" while these same movements also include forms of ethnic nationalism
Ethnic nationalism
Ethnic nationalism is a form of nationalism wherein the "nation" is defined in terms of ethnicity. Whatever specific ethnicity is involved, ethnic nationalism always includes some element of descent from previous generations and the implied claim of ethnic essentialism, i.e...
and national mysticism
National mysticism
National mysticism is a form of nationalism which raises the nation to the status of numen or divinity. Its best known instance is Germanic mysticism, which gave rise to occultism under the "Third Reich". The idea of the nation as a divine entity was presented by Johann Gottlieb Fichte...
.
Literature
- David Aberbach, Jewish Cultural Nationalism: Origins and Influences, ISBN 0415773482
- Kosaku Yoshino, 1992, Cultural Nationalism in Contemporary Japan: A Sociological Enquiry, ISBN 0415071194
- J. Ellen Gainor, 2001, Performing America: Cultural Nationalism in American Theater, ISBN 0472087924
- G. Gordon Betts, 2002, The Twilight of Britain: Cultural Nationalism, Multiculturalism, and the Politics of Toleration, ISBN 0765807319
- Yingjie Guo, 2004, Cultural Nationalism in Contemporary China: The Search for National Identity under Reform, ISBN 0415322642
- Mike Featherstone, Global Culture: Nationalism, Globalization and Modernity, ISBN 0803983220
- Starrs, RoyRoy StarrsRoy Starrs is a scholar of Japanese literature and culture who teaches at the University of Otago in New Zealand. He has written critical studies of the major Japanese writers Yasunari Kawabata, Naoya Shiga, Osamu Dazai, and Yukio Mishima, and edited books on Asian nationalism , globalization, and...
.