Myth against myth: the nation as ethnic overlay

Abstract

Nationalism is a secular modern ideology that has been accompanied by revolutions and it has legitimised the rise to power of new social classes. For this reason many theorists have regarded nationalists as inventors of tradition and their claims to continuities with the past as either self-delusion or a form of deceit. Yet in many cases premodern ethnic identities have powerfully shaped the programmes and policies of many nation-states.How can nationalism be the expressions of ethnic continuity and also of revolutionary change? I will argue that nationalism is a novel form of ethnicity, shaped by the polycentric vision of romanticism and by the unprecedented and unpredictable challenges of the modern world that require innovation Nationalists are able to justify innovation because of the 'layered' nature of the ethnic past, and they are able to overcome established ethnic identities by generating at times of crises novel myths based on romantic acts of sacrifice by heroic elites that legitimise new national projects. But these new elite-driven national mythologies overlie rather than obliterate older ethnic traditions. These latter can come to life in the process of nation-building, redirecting it from its original secular goals.

The descent of nations: social evolutionary theory, modernism and ethno‐symbolism

“…Nations are, in his phrase, ‘zones of conflict’ (Hutchinson ). Hutchinson (: 117) argues that, at times of social crisis, there is an emergence of ‘moral innovators’ who provide new directions for the nation. This can occur through the process of ‘mythic overlaying’ which is ‘the creation of fresh myths by the new nationalists embodied in extraordinary contemporary collective sacrifice against a traditional ‘enemy’ that can be presented as renovation of a national continuum when the old myths have failed’ (Hutchinson : 120).…”

“…Hutchinson (: 117) argues that, at times of social crisis, there is an emergence of ‘moral innovators’ who provide new directions for the nation. This can occur through the process of ‘mythic overlaying’ which is ‘the creation of fresh myths by the new nationalists embodied in extraordinary contemporary collective sacrifice against a traditional ‘enemy’ that can be presented as renovation of a national continuum when the old myths have failed’ (Hutchinson : 120). In this process, the old myths, which are replaced by the renovated ones, are not destroyed, but are instead pushed into the background where they can remain available for revival, should the new myths fail (Hutchinson : 71).…”

“…These provided a shaping influence that, in the context of the environmental change, lead to changes in institutional formation. Hutchinson's (2004Hutchinson's ( , 2005 3) work is useful at this point. He argues that nations are not, as conventionally understood, culturally homogenous entities.…”

Raziskovanje v vzgoji in izobraževanju

“…A tudi nacionalizem kot sekularna moderna ideologija, ki legitimira obstoj vsakega posameznega modernega naroda, ne more obstajati vsaj brez ideje o nacionalni državi oziroma določenem nacionalnem teritoriju in brez navezanosti na etničnost (Appadurai, 2000). Kot pravi John Hutchinson (2004), so bili nacionalizmi v 18. in 19. stoletju le nova oblika etnične kontinuitete: revolucionarne spremembe v tem obdobju niso uničile starejših etničnih tradicij neke skupnosti, ampak so se nanje »naložile«. Z navezavo na etničnost pa je nacionalizem v svojem bistvu etnocentričen, torej utemeljen na favoriziranju lastne etnične skupine kot superiorne, najpomembnejše in tudi najvrednejše v primerjavi z drugimi.…”

Between the devil and the deep blue sea: nationality, power and symbolic trade‐offs among evangelical Protestants in contemporary Northern Ireland1

“…The fact of ethno‐cultural difference and the symbolic resources and repertoires that these actors call upon in their mobilisation are given for any generation, and they may be of extremely long provenance (Smith 1986, 1999). But there is also a process of highlighting and transforming particular distinctions, of cultural and moral ‘innovation’, which continues after nationalisms mobilise (Hutchinson 2004). National movements which tailor their demands to real possibilities, accepting less than statehood in exchange for autonomy and respect, exemplify precisely this interplay of interest and identity, even if leaders or supporters subjectively see themselves as acting from new (European or global) affinities or moral principles (Castells 1997; Guibernau 1999; Keating 2001; Ruane et al .…”