Religion and Nationalism in Iraq: A Comparative Perspective by David Little and Donald K. Swearer (Editors)
By Vivian Ibrahim
Volume 8, Issue 1, pages 177-179
Read the full article here.
Religion and Nationalism in Iraq: A Comparative Perspective by David Little and Donald K. Swearer (Editors)
By Vivian Ibrahim
Volume 8, Issue 1, pages 177-179
Read the full article here.
An Anatomy of Nationhood and the Question of Assimilation: Debates on Turkishness Revisited
By Serhun Al
Volume 15, Issue 1, pages 83-101
Abstract
Scholars have primarily debated the anatomy of Turkishness within the framework of an ethnic versus civic dichotomy. Arguing that such an approach would be inconclusive and less explanatory, this article approaches Turkishness from a singularity/plurality framework. First, the article emphasizes the singular nature of Turkishness – defined as monolithic nationhood – in the early Republican years that rejected any alternative identity approaches other than the definition of the state elites. Second, the article argues that the homogenization of the nation by the new state targeted those who considered themselves Turks as well, especially those who did not fit the ‘ideal’ or ‘imagined’ Turk (i.e. Muslim but secular, urban, and Western). The final section analyses the persistence and change in the monolithic nationhood in Turkey throughout the twentieth century and considers the implications of the state’s recent identity policies on the meaning of Turkishness.
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Reinterpreting the Past or Asserting the Future? National History and Nations in Peril – The Case of the Tibetan Nation
By Anne-Sophie Bentz
Volume 6, Issue 2, pages 56-70
Abstract
In this paper, I will explore the idea that the importance of the past tends to become overwhelming when the nation is in peril. The Tibetan nation is one of those nations which is, or thinks it is, in peril; hence, I contend, its constant need to assert its existence. I intend to examine how the history of Tibet has been transformed into a national history by discussing key historical events and relating them to the Tibetan interpretation as it developed in exile, particularly in India. With this I hope to shed a new light on how national history, or, more precisely the (re)construction of a national history, can become instrumental in asserting a threatened nation’s existence and how this can affect the very content of the nation’s history.
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The Importance of Culture in Civic Nations: Culture and the Republic in France
By Vincent Martigny
Volume 8, Issue 3, pages 543-559
Abstract
This article discusses Hans Kohn’s argument that civic nations pay little attention to cultural claims in their definition and practice of citizenship, by looking at the political system in France and its relation to culture. Contrary to Kohn’s analysis, culture has played – and still plays – a fundamental role in the definition and modus vivendi of the civic republic in France, through a form of cultural nationalism implemented by the state. It is also argued that the opposition between civic and ethno-cultural nations can be misguided. Indeed the French civic nation can be conceived of as ‘cultural’ while rejecting ethnicity in its definition of citizenship. This calls for the redefinition of Kohn’s dichotomy and mismatch between culture and ethnicity.
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Towards a Trans-border Identity in the Upper Rhine Area? Regional Cohesion in the Grip of the Nation-State
By Angeliki Koukoutsaki-Monnier
Volume 15, Issue 2, pages 213-229
Abstract
How should we discuss trans-border identities across the Franco-German-Swiss border area? Adopting a multidisciplinary approach, this article aims to establish a conceptual framework in order to apprehend and study border regions. Focusing on the Franco-German-Swiss border area usually designated as the ‘Upper Rhine’, the article seeks to show how actors’ strategies – mainly those of institutional agents – articulate with, complement, or contradict the habitus (i.e. the practices and materialities of everyday life), giving rise to a diverse set of identity constructions and sketching a more or less precise contour of this region, and of border territories in general.
Read the full article here.