Liturgy of Nation-Formation: Patrick Pearse and the Theological Background of the Easter Rising of 1916

By Maciej Ruczaj

Volume 13, Issue 3, pages 412-428

Abstract

The Dublin 1916 Easter Rising is most often analysed in terms of the ‘blood sacrifice’ concept and its ‘theatrical’ aspect with both rhetorical devices being ascribed to Patrick (Padraic) Pearse – poet, dramatist, and a crucial figure in the development of the discourse of Irish nationalism. This article proposes a reading of Pearse’s literary and political texts centred on the relation between the religious and the political. Starting with the delineation of the complex ‘translation of the sacred’ from the religious to the secular context, the article then examines the two above-mentioned key dimensions of the Rising, its sacrificial and ‘theatrical’ aspects, demonstrating their theological affinities. The two are interconnected through the thomistic theory of the liturgical sign, suggesting that the Easter Rising, as a crucial event in the construction of Irish nationhood, was devised and carried out per analogiam to the liturgical symbolism of the Catholic Mass.

Read the full article here.

Minimalist Citizenship and National Identity in the Australian Republican Movement

By Francesco Veri

Volume 16, Issue 1, pages 3-19

Abstract

This article explores the way in which the Australian Republican Movement (ARM) in the 1990s considered the meaning of citizenship and national identity. We seek to demonstrate that ARM’s citizenship ideal was minimalist because it largely ignored legal and normative notions of citizenship for pragmatic, political, and theoretical reasons. First, we will explore the meaning of citizenship in the Australian institutional context in order to explain the differences between the legal exclusive notion and the normative inclusive understanding of citizenship. Later, we will focus our analysis specifically on ARM’s political debate during the 1990s. From this point of view, ARM only portrayed an unattractive normative vision of Australian citizenship which relied on universal civic values based on civic-territorial and egalitarian ideas of citizenship adaptable to any political system. ARM’s minimalist constitutional proposal hardly had an impact on national identity because it was not designed to harbour an inclusive normative vision of citizenship. ARM had an opportunity to advance a new conception of citizenship which would have advanced a more attractive definition of national identity. ARM’s minimalist approach also negatively influenced the 1999 republican referendum outcome.

Read the full article here.

The Rise of Han-Centrism and What It Means for International Politics

By John M. Friend and Bradley A. Thayer

Volume 17, Issue 1, pages 91-114

Abstract

This article addresses the rise of Han-centrism, a form of hyper-nationalism, in contemporary China. As Chinese nationalism has become more ethnocentric since the 1990s, the cultural chauvinism of Han-centrism has become increasingly more influential in the debate over national identity. Within this narrative, Han culture is considered to be the authentic character of the nation; to deviate from the Han identity will only tarnish Chinese exceptionalism and impede China’s rise. While Chinese nationalism consists of many competing discourses, we argue that Han-centrism has a significant influence within both policy-making circles and the public sphere in China, and, as a result, has important consequences for the future of international politics.

Read the full article here.