In the first preview of our current focus on violence and extremist groups, SEN Journal: Online Exclusives is pleased to present an extract from Amy Cooter’s ‘Neo-Nazi Nationalism.’
Abstract
In an effort to understand how supremacists may respond to future socio-political events, this article examines how White Aryan Resistance (WAR), as a major player in the White Supremacist Movement (WSM), conceptualises nationalism and who qualifies as a ‘real’ American. I use discourse analysis on two year’s worth of WAR newsletters: twelve monthly issues before the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks and twelve issues after this date. Only partial support is found for outcomes that the existing nationalism literature would predict, suggesting that those who research the right-wing must better understand the WSM’s sense of status loss to adequately predict future violent action from these groups. I show that WAR did not increasingly target Arabs after the attacks, which may have enhanced their membership and mobilisation efforts, but that this decision was a rational response in the context of status threats and limited movement resources.
ASEN, the world’s leading organization for the study of ethnicity and nationalism, is pleased to announce an opportunity to act as one of the two Conference Chairs who will lead the ASEN Annual Conference that has developed into a major international event over the past 22 years. ASEN is unique, in that it is a research association run almost entirely by postgraduate students.
The Conference Co-Chairs of the Association work closely with the Executive Committee in managing a diverse range of activities within this research association and academic network. The successful applicant will be primarily involved in organizing and managing the 2013 ASEN annual conference, and is in charge of the conference sub-committee.
The Conference Chair’s duties generally encompass 6 hours per week and the appointment is from October 2012 until May 2012. Ideally, the Conference Chairs will regularly work from ASEN’s headquarters at the London School of Economics; although, flexible working arrangements will be considered. Applications from postgraduate students in the London area are encouraged.
The position is unpaid yet the Conference Chairs are provided with a work space in the ASEN office (to be used for both ASEN and personal work), administrative support by an Office Manager and access to LSE academic resources. Managing the conference also provides an excellent opportunity to work with leading scholars within the field and the proceedings of previous conferences have resulted in a number of publications, including edited volumes. In addition, the Conference Co-Chairs sit on the Editorial Teams of ASEN’s two leading scholarly journals: Nations and Nationalism (N&N) and Studies in Ethnicity and Nationalism (SEN).
In our final instalment of SEN Journal: Online Exclusives previews on the theme of nationalism, ethnicity, and sport, we are delighted to present Vlado Kotnik’s article on the role of skiing in Slovenian identity, culture and society.
Photo credit: jonwick04, flickr
Abstract
This paper explores the role of alpine skiing in Slovenian culture and society by focusing on the construction and maintenance of a sporting national story. The research, which is based on discourse analysis and the ethnographic method, suggests that in Slovenia, alpine skiing, with its natural sceneries, amateurish background, sporting events, media attention and national heroes, is one of the main sports arenas in which the Slovenian nation-imagining, nationalism and national identity have been exercised throughout the twentieth century. The national importance of alpine skiing was further confirmed after Slovenia’s secession from Yugoslavia. The findings also suggest that the media, especially television, perpetuated the myth of skiing as the Slovenian national sport and as an autochthonous Slovenian sporting practice.
In our second last instalment on nationalism, ethnicity and sport, SEN Journal: Online Exclusives is pleased to present a preview of Bea Vidac’s ‘Banal Nationalism, Football, and Discourse Community in Africa.
Photo credit: US Army Africa/ Flickr
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.
