The Challenges of Nation-Building and Nation Branding in Multi-Ethnic Suriname

Abstract

This analysis of nation-building and nation branding in post-colonial, multi-ethnic Suriname builds on the notion that such policies are promising but also difficult to achieve in culturally divided societies. We zoom in on three episodes of nation-building and nation branding in the country and explain why and in what respects they succeeded or failed. We posit that in Suriname's case, nation-building and nation branding are intertwined, because the latter cannot be seen in isolation from nation-building. In the Conclusion, we discuss the effects of colonial legacies in multi-ethnic societies on nation-building and nation branding.

The Political Branding of a Powerless Nation: A Historical Account of the Branding of Kuwait During the Reign of Sheikh Abdullah Al-Salem (1950–1965)

“…Many want to live in peace, have a better life, gain independence, especially after World War Two, and pacify local divisions and civil wars. For example, Suriname (formerly a Dutch colony) is a small country located in South America with several ethnic and cultural groups, and it used nation branding to sell itself as ethnically and culturally diverse to an outside audience (Hoefte & Veenendaal, 2019). In 2009, Kosovo started a nation branding campaign to correct the negative perception of the country as a troubled nation and project the image of a nation of future opportunities (Zhou, 2011).…”

“…A relatively new concept that emerged by the mid-1990s (Marat, 2009), nation branding has been historically employed for political reasons by many nations (Soar & McCullough, 2011), especially small states (Hoefte & Veenendaal, 2019). Although it has been used in recent years for commercial purposes such as tourism and attracting foreign investment, Hoefte and Veenendaal (2019) state that, "for countries with colonial legacies, profoundly heterogeneous societies, and weak economic foundations, nation branding can be promising-and perhaps even necessary-to promote not only the country but also political emancipation and the formation of national identities" (p. 174). Anholt (2003) is one of the leading scholars who formulates nation branding theoretically as a process containing three major components: strategy, substance and symbolic actions.…”

The nation as an imagined commodity: Branding ‘Melania’

“…For example, Aronczyk (2013) maintains that nation branding is the process of the construction and communication of national identity using tools, techniques and expertise from the world of corporate brand management. Moreover, Hoefte and Veenendaal (2019) add that nation building and nation branding are closely intertwined in today’s world of the commercialization of everyday life, and the capitalist logic of the nation is put at the forefront. Thus, nation branding cannot be seen in isolation from nation building.…”

ation-building in Postcolonial States: Examining the Effects of Successive Nation-Building Policies in Pakistan

“…In most of the multi-ethnic states in Asia and Africa, the colonial powers also tried to instigate animosity between the different groups through the policy of divide and rule. In the struggle for decolonization, "the independence movements in the 1940s and 1950s transformed into dominant political parties that claimed to represent the entire population in its struggle against an illegitimate colonial power" (Hoefte & Veenendaal, 2019). After the independence from colonial rule, the dominant political parties became the sole representatives of the people and employed such nation-building tactics that were frequently detrimental to the interests of the political opposition.…”