On the Roles of Institutions and Agency in Nationalism and the Relations between Them: A Theoretical Enquiry into the Study of Nationalism, Its Present and Future

Abstract

This article unfolds sociology’s contribution in helping to understand the emergence and development of nationalism. It engages with nationalism studies and identifies three debates that have significantly shaped this field of research. Against this background, the article explores the question of how sociology can contribute to an understanding of nationalism’s present and future. Using the most recent and ongoing debates in studies of nationalism, the article pinpoints three propositions that jointly form the core of an emerging analytical framework. This framework breaks with the civic–ethnic and primordial–constructivist distinctions that have held dominant positions within nationalism studies, and directs attention towards the roles of, and interactions between, institutions and agency in nationalism. The article explores the potential of this analytical framework by applying it to the arts. It highlights the roles of, and interactions between, institutions and agency in this area, focusing on the Nordic countries in Europe.