The Functions of Nationalism

The essence of a particular national ideology is determined by it’s functions. In the contemporary world, nationalism has the two main functions: mobilizational and compensatory. As for it’s legitimational function, it’s importance considerably declined due to the expansion of the liberal-democratic discourse and activation of religious, confessional system, of legitimation. Nowadays, nationalism is comfortably used for mass mobilization, or for compensation of collective traumas. At the same time, nationalistic rhetoric turned out to be very effective tool for weakening of psychological feelings of society’s frustrated segment[1].
[1]Малахов В.С. Национализм как политическая идеология. М. 2005

Indentity in Psychology

There are many ways to research and define identity in psychology. We could tell about personal identity (knowledge and feeling about own uniqueness and differences from other people) as well as about social identity (knowledge and feeling of own belongingness to certain social group or social category). Also identity explores like a role identity, social identity, situational identity, given identity etc.
Modern psychological science suggest multitude of identities, build them into different systems, hierarchies, structures. Psychologists argue about exact definition of identity, try to oppose social and personal identities to each other, and try to find the most appropriate model for representation of personality, like a system, schema, of elaborated identities.
Identity in its true sense could be defined in different categories, situations, relations through which we produce own Selves, personalities, uniqueness of personal life. For that reason, I prefer the term subjectivity rather, than term identity. The term subjectivity elaborated in the course of modern philosophy and psychology of personality. It means the true, unique, non-adaptive mental core of individual, which includes all the things through which a personality signifies itself. Semantically, today, identity is a something that personality has, but subjectivity is something that personality is. Subjectivity is always a product of two issues: 1) personal life experience, 2) ethnic, cultural, social, any other type of the discourse a person lives in.
For the subjectivity we don’t have to separate and define some partial identities – ethnic, religious, professional, gender, etc. All of them involved in the process of subjectivity building and equally presented at the space of personality. So, identities, in the space of subjectivity, represent certain possibilities of the person to define and express own self, by very different ways.
To sum up:
1) Identity is not only the result, but also is the process of subjectivity building, so we need to look on it in both, structural and dynamic perspectives.
2) Identity exists as a discourse, could be expressed through narrative personality tells about own self or through the outside interpretation of that narrative.
3) Identity of the person always exist as intention and being turned to the social and cultural spheres, to the Other (From the capital letter), who personalized itself all possible social identifications (ethnic, religious, national, etc).

Separatist Nationalism

Separatist Nationalism, it’s peculiar ideology, is based on ethnic, linguistic or confessional group’s aspiration towards separation from a particular state. In general, an international society does not support their demands, justifying behavior by means of political-pragmatic, as well as through moral-judicial considerations[1].
Малахов В.С. Национализм как политическая идеология. М. 2005

Religious Nationalism

Religious Nationalism defines nation through a common religion. If a state derives it’s legitimacy in conjunction with religious doctrines, we can characterize it more as a theocracy, rather as a nation-state. In reality, most ethnic and cultural nationalisms have religious aspect in their core. Religion is the marker of a group identity and it is not the motivation for nationalistic demands and pretensions (for example, Irish nationalism)[1].
[1]Wikipedia http://www.wikipedia.org/

Cultural Nationalism

Cultural Nationalism defines nation through the scope of culture. Membership in a nation is neither totally voluntaristic (it’s impossible to familiarize with culture immediately), nor hereditary (particular nation’s successors can be considered as foreigners, if they are brought up in different culture)[1].
[1]Wikipedia http://www.wikipedia.org/

Romantic Nationalism

Romantic Nationalism (organic nationalism, identity’s nationalism) is an extraordinary form of ethnic nationalism, where state derives it’s political legitimacy as a result of nation’s (or race’s) expression. It was the reflection of Romantism and was opposed to the rationalism of enlightenment. Romantic nationalism was stressing on historical ethnic culture, which was totally correlative with the idea of Romantism[1].
[1]Wikipedia http://www.wikipedia.org/

Ethnic Nationalism

Ethnic Nationalism ­defines nation through concept of ethnicity, always including some elements of ancestry. It also contains the idea of shared culture and language of its members. Membership in a nation is hereditary. State derives it’s legitimacy through it’s status – to defend a national group and strengthen it’s culture and social life. An idea of ethnicity is too old, but recent nationalism was heavily influenced by Johan Gottfried Von Herder, who made the concept people soundness, and by Johan Gothlib Fixte. Nowadays, ethnic nationalism is a prevailing form of nationalism and generally it is quoted as nationalism. We have to note, Anthony Smith, an influential theoretician of nationalism studies, uses the term ethnic nationalism to refer to the non Western conceptions of nationalism. He confronts this term to the Western viewpoints, where a geographical territory plays a crucial role in nations’ definition[1].
According to the essence of ethnic nationalism ethnos should be exclusive politically, endowed with the right of self-determination[2].
[1]Wikipedia http://www.wikipedia.org/
[2]Wikipedia http://www.wikipedia.org/

State Nationalism

A variety of civic nationalism, quiet often combined with ethnic nationalism. State Nationalism considers nation to be an unity of people, contributing to state’s maintenance and development. This standpoint is briefly expressed in Mussolini’s slogan: “everything in state, nothing beyond it, nothing against it”. It is not surprising though that this is in opposition with the liberal ideas of individual freedom and liberal-democratic principles. The Jacobin creation of an unitary and centralized French state is considered to be the initial version of state nationalism. Franco’s Spain and modern Turkish nationalism are the later examples of state nationalism[1].
The term State Nationalism is reffered for describing a contradiction of different nationalisms, especially in a case when secession movement is confronted with existed nation state. Secessionists point to state nationalism in order to discredit legitimacy of larger existing state. Thus state nationalism is perceived to be less authentic and less democratic.[2].
[1]Wikipedia http://www.wikipedia.org/
[2]Wikipedia http://www.wikipedia.org/

Civic Nationalism

State derives it’s political legitimacy through an active participation of it’s citizens. The degree of political legitimacy correlates with the degree of people’s will’s representation. The idea of civic nationalism was coined by Jan-Jak Russo and was spread through his theories of social contract. The term social contract itself derives from his book, entitled as Social Contract, published in 1762. Civic nationalism fits well with the framework of nationalisms’ traditions and liberalism. As a type of nationalism, it is in a sharp contrast with ethnic nationalism. Membership in a civic nation is voluntaristic. The civic national ideas were heavily influenced by the development of representative democracy in countries, like the United States and France[1].
[1]Wikipedia http://www.wikipedia.org/

Anti-Colonial/Post-Colonial Nationalism

Anti-Colonial/Post-Colonial Nationalism started just after the process of decolonization, following 1945 . It was directed against the West and the Western values[1].
[1]Heiwood E. Political Ideologies, 2004, pp. 177-214.