**This week we are featuring two articles that have recently received high Almetric scores.**
Banal Nationalism, Football, and Discourse Community in Africa
By Bea Vidacs
Volume 11, Issue 1, pages 25-41
Abstract
The article argues that despite the continuing relevance of ethnicity, the idea of the nation has taken root among Africans. This is due to a combination of factors, including the universal ideology of the nation‐state, the impact of the existence of such national borders on the imagination, and the influence of national symbols and icons, which naturalise the idea of the nation. Applying Michael Billig’s notion of banal nationalism to Cameroon, the article focuses on linguistic practices as well as on popular appropriations of national symbols as contributing factors to the creation and maintenance of national consciousness. The analysis of a call‐in radio program broadcast on Cameroonian national radio during the 1994 FIFA World Cup illustrates that football created a discourse community that reinforced the idea of the nation both explicitly and implicitly. By participating in the debate, journalists and listeners alike – regardless of the tenor of their remarks – reinforced and further contributed to imagining the Cameroonian nation.
Read the full article here.
Does Electoral Proximity Enhance National Pride? Evidence from Monthly Surveys in a Multi‐ethnic Society – Latvia
By Ryo Nakai
Volume 18, Issue 3, pages 198-220
Abstract
This research focuses on how elections affect national pride, one of the core components of an individual’s sense of nationalism. Recent studies have found that elections can be crucial moments in enhancing nationalistic sentiment. I conducted an in‐depth survey of research polling in Latvia, where the ethnic majority–minority structure is clear and issues of nationalism have long been salient. It therefore offers an interesting case for observing whose national pride can be changed over the short term during the electoral season. Survey research conducted repeatedly both before and after the general election produced the following findings: 1) an electoral enhancement effect on national pride exists, regardless of ethnic majority or minority status; 2) the pride of those who support the party of the incumbent prime minister is enhanced as elections get closer, but that of radical right party supporters is not. These results shed light on yet another aspect of the connection between elections and nationalism.
Read the full article here.