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POLITICS OF NATIONALISM8. SOCIAL STRUCTURE AND NATIONALISM

POLITICS OF NATIONALISM

8. SOCIAL STRUCTURE AND NATIONALISM


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OUTLINEMain topics:

•Relationship between nationalism and underlying social characteristics–Social class–Region


DIRECTION OF CAUSATIONSocial factors have an impact on nationalism ...

LANGUAGE

RELIGION NATIONALIDENTITY /

NATIONALISM“HISTORY”

other factors?

… but nat. can have an impact on social factors


OVERLAPPING FACTORSIf background factors overlap, they may reinforce each other; for example religious division may coincide with linguistic one:

• Israel/Palestine: Hebrew-speaking Jews v. Arabic-speaking Muslims

• Cyprus: Turkish-speaking Muslims v. Greek-speaking Orthodox ChristiansBackground factors may also cut across each other; for example religious division may cut across linguistic one:

• Switzerland: German- and French-speakers divided into Catholic and Protestant cantons


OVERLAPPING FACTORS

Cross-cutting divisions may produce anomalous groups:

• Poland: identification with Catholicism–but: Masurians (Polish-speaking, Protestant)

• Lithuania: identification with Catholicism–but: Memellanders (Lith.-speaking, Prot.)

• Bulgaria: identification with Orthodoxy–but: Pomaks (Bulgarian-speaking Muslims)


OVERLAPPING FACTORS

Other background factors may reinforce cultural divisions:

• Class/social position(if “cultural division of labour”)

• Region(if major regional disparities)


CLASS / SOCIAL POSITIONGroups are commonly differentiated not just culturally but also in status in economy

townsfolk

peasants

nobility

19th c. Lithuania:

Poles

Lithuanians

Jews

Class, “order”:


CLASS / SOCIAL POSITION”CULTURAL DIVISION OF LABOUR”: EXAMPLES

townsfolk

peasants

nobility

19th c. Estonia/N. Latvia

Germans

Estonians, Latvians

Germans

Class, “order”:



townsfolk

peasants

nobility

19th c. Finland

Swedish

Finnish

Swedish

Class, “order”:



townsfolk

peasants

nobility

19th c. Slovakia

Magyar

Slovak

Magyar/German

Class, “order”:



townsfolk

peasants

nobility

19th c. Ireland

English speaking, Protestant

Irish-speaking, Catholic

English-speakingProtestant

Class, “order”:


CLASS / SOCIAL POSITIONLANGUAGE AND LEGAL CLASS: ESTONIA, 1897

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

100%

Nobility Citizens Merchants Petty bourgeoisie Peasants

Estonian German Russian Polish Yiddish Belorussian Other


CLASS / SOCIAL POSITIONLANGUAGE AND LEGAL CLASS: LATVIA, 1897

0%

20%

40%

60%

80%

100%

Nobility Citizens Merchants Petty bourgeoisie Peasants

Latvian German Russian Polish Yiddish Belorussian Other


CLASS / SOCIAL POSITIONLANGUAGE AND LEGAL CLASS:LITHUANIA, 1897

0%

20%

40%

60%

80%

100%

"Nobility" Citizens Merchants Petty bourgeoisie Peasants

Lithuanian Polish Russian German Yiddish Belorussian Other


CLASS / SOCIAL POSITIONRELIGION AND OCCUPATION: IRELAND, 1861

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

100%

Titled nobility Gentlemen Landedproprietors

Learnedprofessions

Farmers Farm labourers,servants

Catholic Ch.of I Presbyterian


CLASS / SOCIAL POSITIONRELIGION AND EMPLOYMENT STATUS (MALES):

NORTHERN IRELAND, 1971

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

100%

professional,managerial

lower grade, non-manual

skilled manual semi-skilled manual unskilled, unemployed

Protestant Catholic


REGIONThe character of peripheral regions may provide a basis for reinforcement of regional identity and/or creation of national identity:

• The region may be culturally distinctive (in language, religion, historical tradition)- as already discussed

• The region may be relatively poor, and exploited

• The region may be relatively rich, and exploited


REGION

Distinctive regional economic system may promote sense of separate identity:

• Poverty may be attributed to external exploitation by metropolitan power(e.g. Ireland; many external colonies)

• More specifically, conditions of “internal colonialism” may exist(e.g. Ireland, Wales; ?Scotland?)


REGION

Internal colonialism (Hechter, Michael (1975) Internal colonialism: the Celtic fringe in British national development, 1536–1966. London: Routledge and Kegan Paul. Page 33):•Commerce and trade among members of the periphery monopolised by members of the core (credit as well)•When commercial prospects emerge, recruitment of bankers, managers and entrepreneurs from the core.•The peripheral economy forced into complementary development to the core and thus becomes dependent on external markets.•Peripheral economies rest on single primary export (agricultural or mineral)•Economic dependence reinforced through juridical, political and military measures


REGION

Geographically peripheral region may also be relatively wealthy, and allege exploitation by centre:

• Baltic states in USSR• Slovenia in former Yugoslavia• Catalonia in Spain• East Ulster in Ireland?


THE END …

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