scholarly journals Nations as Gravitational Fields of Culture: In Defence of “Nationology”

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Plamen Akaliyski ◽  
Michael Harris Bond ◽  
Christian Welzel
Keyword(s):  
Social Sciences ◽  
National Identity ◽  
Social Class ◽  
National Culture ◽  
Cultural Groups ◽  
Gravitational Fields ◽  
Cross Border ◽  
The Social ◽  
Collective Phenomenon ◽  
Spatial Fields

Nations have been questioned as meaningful units for analyzing culture. Against this skepticism, we underline that culture is always a collective phenomenon, commonly understood as the prevalent values in a population that form its mentality and identity in differentiation from others. Nations are population entities that are manifest in states as their organizational frame, in countries as their territorial space, and in national identity as their psychological glue. Territorial in character, nations form spatial fields of ‘cultural gravitation.’ Above and beneath nations, other spatial fields of cultural gravitation exist, like sub-national regions (beneath) and geo-political areas (above). There are also non-spatial forces of cultural gravitation, including language, ethnicity, religion, social class, gender, and generation. To operationalize nations as gravitational fields of culture, we look at them in terms of their central tendencies and these tendencies’ densities and variance-binding powers, rather than understanding nations as monolithic and closed cultural containers. Because national culture is foundational for societal institutions and guides individuals’ behavior, it is of intrinsic interest for the social sciences to study culture at the nation-level, even in the presence of internal heterogeneity and cross-border similarity. Whenever of interest, sub- and supra-national cultural groups as well as non-spatial cultural groups should also be studied, but our theoretical framework warrants the use of nations as meaningful gravitational units for analyzing the dimensions and dynamics of culture.

Le problème de la nation dans le marxisme français

1970 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
pp. 18-36
Author(s):  
André Vachet
Keyword(s):  
Social Class ◽  
National Culture ◽  
Social Order ◽  
Marxist Theory ◽  
Social Revolution ◽  
Henri Lefebvre ◽  
Absolute Value ◽  
Dynamic Relationship ◽  
Marxist Ideology ◽  
The Social

The problem of the nation in French Marxism gives rise to many difficulties. Most of the Marxist scholars, in spite of all their efforts, have not been able to explain the nation coherently in Marxist terms. Most frequently the attempt is made to integrate the nation into Marxist ideology by equating it to a social class. But this identification is impossible: (1) The nation and the social class are not treated on the same level in Marxist sociology. For Marxism, social class and nation have an unyielding content that prevents the reduction of one to the other. (2) The classes in a society play a dysfunctional role whereas the nation is an integrative factor that overcomes the divisions. (3) Finally, the class struggle, according to Marx, leads to social revolution, while a national struggle can only produce a political revolution. This analysis shows that it is impossible to integrate the nation in Marxist theory, if one grants to the nation an absolute value in the social order.Marxism treats the nation as a secondary reality of the social order. It is the category of “partial-totality” which provides the key to this integration. Society is the totality, but not an empty one. It is a totality which gathers together other totalities linked in an essentially dynamic relationship. Marxism defends the concept of nation as a partial totality, that is as an “historic entity,” but in so doing deprives it of any absolute and definitive character and of formal autonomy. It is as a partial totality simultaneously determined by “the” totality (as goal) and by concrete behaviour or praxis (which constructs totality) that Marxism retains and defends the nation not only as a strategic and momentary element but also as a support for specific values which are integrated into the universalism of the civilization of free men.Thus the French Marxists, faithful to their principles, have not only accepted the nations, but have even defended them as “partial totalities” and as the medium of praxis. It is by a distortion that some French Marxists such as Aragon, Casanova, Cogniot, Leduc, etc., have been able to surround the nation by a halo as if it had an eternal value in itself. More coherent are those who like Henri Lefebvre or Maxime Rodinson have seen in the nation a reality attached to historical development, setting loose in the development of humanity those values which are durable acquisitions in themselves, but whose forms are subject to time and to the renewal of praxis.It is thus that neither the identification, nor even equality, but the simultaneity of national culture and socialist humanism can be explained. The specific can take the form of the universal.

scholarly journals Pro-european orientation and perception of European integrations as a threat in Serbia and Croatia - the importance of sociodemographic variables and different forms of national attachment

1970 ◽  
Vol 14 (1) ◽  
pp. 53-77
Author(s):  
Vladimir Mihić ◽  
Dragana Jelić ◽  
Margareta Jelić
Keyword(s):  
Social Sciences ◽  
National Identity ◽  
European Integration ◽  
Sociodemographic Variables ◽  
National Pride ◽  
The Past ◽  
The Social ◽  
National Attachment ◽  
And Gender ◽  
The Eu

For the past few decades, European integration has been one of the primary issues not just in politics, but also in the social sciences. This issue becomes even more important when research takes place in countries where the population is ambivalent in their support for the EU and European integration. The main aims of the study presented in this paper are to determine differences in Serbia and Croatia in pro-European orientation and the perception of European integration (EI) as a threat, and to determine the factors underlying both constructs by focusing on sociodemographic variables, the importance of religion, and different forms of national attachment. The results show that citizens of Croatia have a stronger pro-European orientation, but there is no difference in the perception of EI as a threat. Pro-European orientation is determined by the respondents’ national identity (in both countries) and gender, the importance of religion, and national pride in the state (only in Serbia). The significant predictors for the perception of EI as a threat were constructive patriotism and national pride in successful individuals (in Serbia), blind patriotism (in Croatia) and the importance of religion (in both countries).

scholarly journals The Construction of national identity in Germany: "Migration Background" as a political and scientific category

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Albert Scherr
Keyword(s):  
Social Sciences ◽  
National Identity ◽  
Migration Background ◽  
Full Member ◽  
Working Paper ◽  
German Citizenship ◽  
The Social ◽  
German Situation

Migration has far-reaching effects on the construction of national identity. It can lead to established concepts of national identity and societal affiliation being questioned. In this working paper, it will be demonstrated on the basis of the contemporary German situation that the recognition of Germany as an immigration society does not come along with an overall recognition of migrants as equal members of society. Indeed it is still not sufficient to possess German citizenship to be accepted as a full member of society. It can be proven, that the distinction between "ordinary Germans" and "Germans with migration background" plays an important role in designating allegedly different elements of society. The paper discusses how the social sciences are involved in the process, which makes this differentiation appear plausible and acceptable. Keywords: Germany, immigration, construction of a national identity, societal affiliation discrimination, social and scientific categories

Finding the American Dream Abroad? Narratives of Return Among 1.5 and Second Generation Vietnamese American Skilled Migrants in Vietnam

2016 ◽  
Vol 11 (2) ◽  
pp. 96-121 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mytoan Nguyen-Akbar
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
National Identity ◽  
Social Class ◽  
Personal Growth ◽  
American Dream ◽  
Second Generation ◽  
The United States ◽  
Vietnamese American ◽  
The Social ◽  
Migrant Selectivity

This essay, using multi-sited ethnographic methods, discusses the motivations for the en masse longer-term migration of 1.5 and second generation Vietnamese American professionals to their parents’ ancestral homeland during the 2000s. Social class dynamics, gender, racial, and national identity in the United States and migrant selectivity inform their decisions to migrate to the ancestral homeland for personal growth and to help develop the country. The interviewees’ framing of return experiences reflects the social ambivalence of returning as “in between” subjects in pursuit of a liberal capitalist American Dream abroad.

scholarly journals Shaping the National Identity of the Youth in the Polish Scouting Association (ZHP)

2020 ◽  
Vol 27 (4) ◽  
pp. 75-90
Author(s):  
Kamil Roman
Keyword(s):  
Social Sciences ◽  
Systematic Review ◽  
National Identity ◽  
Human Person ◽  
Positive Role ◽  
Social Organizations ◽  
Special Place ◽  
The Social ◽  
Patriotic Education

Studies on patriotism and national identity occupy a special place in the social sciences related to the comprehensive and integral develop­ment of the human person. The shaping of national identity in Poland is particularly important due to the recently celebrated 100th anni­versary of independence. An important role in this process has been played by social organizations, whose members take care of maintain­ing and cultivating the Polish tradition. One of such organizations has been the Polish Scouting Association (ZHP), founded in 1918. The aim of the paper is to show the positive role of ZHP in building national identity and shaping the patriotic attitudes of contemporary youth. This goal will be verified through a systematic review of litera­ture related to identity, patriotism and patriotic education. The article also contains an overview of initiatives related to shaping the patriotic identity in the Polish Scouting Association.

Emirati Identity and Social Interaction in the Emirate of Ras Al Khaimah

2016 ◽  
Author(s):  
Martin Ledstrup
Keyword(s):  
National Identity ◽  
Social Interaction ◽  
Developing Country ◽  
National Culture ◽  
Social Isolation ◽  
United Arab Emirates ◽  
Abu Dhabi ◽  
Common Assumption ◽  
The Social

"The United Arab Emirates (UAE) is a rapidly developing country. According to a common assumption in media and scholarship, however, this development has come with a price: The UAE’s expanding expatriate population has led Emiratis to become more diligent about asserting their national identity. Many suggest that, in celebrating their national culture and local heritage, Emiratis have effectively isolated themselves from expatriates—both physically and symbolically. In what follows, this paper approaches these issues through an ethnographic lens and identifies the above understanding of Emirati national identity as a form of stereotype. It argues that the stereotype of Emiratis who culturally isolate themselves is challenged by the behavior of Emiratis in the emirate of Ras Al Khaimah. Observers who contend that Emiratis do not typically interact with expatriates may be, at best, basing their view on experiences rooted in emirates such as Dubai and Abu Dhabi, but this perspective cannot account for Emiratis as a whole. In contrast to stereotypes about Emirati identity and the social isolation that it produces, it appears possible for Emiratis in Ras Al Khaimah to maintain a sense of national identity while interacting with expatriates. The important point to grasp, from this discussion, is that Emiratis value their identity in many different and often individualized ways, making generaliations about their national identity dubious."

Bordering, exclusions and necropolitics

2017 ◽  
Vol 17 (3) ◽  
pp. 142-154 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marisela Montenegro ◽  
Joan Pujol ◽  
Silvia Posocco
Keyword(s):  
Social Sciences ◽  
Social Class ◽  
Social Practice ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Special Issue ◽  
Specific Context ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Knowledge Practices ◽  
The Social ◽  
Critical Understanding

Purpose Contemporary governmentality combines biopolitical and necropolitical logics to establish social, political and physical borders that classify and stratify populations using symbolic and material marks as, for example, nationality, gender, ethnicity, race, sexuality, social class and/or disability. The social sciences have been prolific in the analysis of alterities and, in turn, implicated in the epistemologies and knowledge practices that underpin and sustain the multiplication of frontiers that define essential differences between populations. The purpose of this paper is to develop a strategy that analyze and subvert the logic of bordering inherent in the bio/necropolitical gaze. In different ways, this paper examines operations of delimitation and differentiation that contribute to monolithic definitions of subject and subjectivity. Design/methodology/approach The authors question border construction processes in terms of their static, homogenizing and exclusionary effects. Findings Instead of hierarchical stratification of populations, the papers in this special issue explore the possibilities of relationship and the conditions of such relationships. Who do we relate to? On which terms and conditions? With what purpose? In which ethical and political manner? Originality/value A critical understanding of the asymmetry in research practices makes visible how the researcher is legitimized to produce a representation of those researched, an interpretation of their words and actions without feedback or contribution to the specific context where the research has been carried out. Deconstructive and relational perspectives are put forward as critical strands that can set the basis of different approaches to research and social practice.

Christs in the Night: The Missiological Challenge of Andean Catholicism

1997 ◽  
Vol 25 (1) ◽  
pp. 51-60
Author(s):  
Curt Cadorette
Keyword(s):  
Social Sciences ◽  
Social Environment ◽  
Small Town ◽  
Religious Life ◽  
Cultural Groups ◽  
The South ◽  
The Social

This article analyzes the social and religious life of a small town in the south of Peru. Focusing on the celebration of Holy Week, it studies how particular socioeconomic and cultural groups employ Catholic ritual to articulate their self-understanding, both socio-politically and religiously. The essay uses concepts drawn from the social sciences to help elucidate the theological and missiological challenges one faces in a conflictive social environment.

History in the Classroom An Undisciplined Subject

2015 ◽  
Vol 70 (01) ◽  
pp. 173-184
Author(s):  
Laurence De Cock
Keyword(s):  
Social Sciences ◽  
Nineteenth Century ◽  
National Culture ◽  
Scientific Knowledge ◽  
History Teaching ◽  
The Social ◽  
Pedagogic Knowledge ◽  
The Relationship

Abstract This paper argues that a discipline taught in schools is more than a mere copy of scientific knowledge. It investigates the relationship between scholarly and pedagogic knowledge from the end of the nineteenth century, when the teaching of history was tasked with participating in the construction of a shared national culture. In fact, it is only by mobilizing tools from the social sciences that the complexity of history teaching can be understood. The repeated accusations directed at the teaching of history in schools therefore reflect a trite and hackneyed understanding of its nature and mission.

scholarly journals BAHASA DAN IDENTITAS BUDAYA

2017 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
pp. 44 ◽  
Author(s):  
Budi Santoso
Keyword(s):  
Ethnic Identity ◽  
National Identity ◽  
Social Class ◽  
Ethnic Group ◽  
Personal Identity ◽  
Social Group ◽  
National Language ◽  
Arbitrary System ◽  
Group Language ◽  
The Social

Language is an arbitrary system of sound used by members of a social group to cooperate, communicate, and identify one self. The paper discusses the use of language to identify personal identity, social class, ethnicity, and nationality. Language can determine the identity of an individual and a group. Language is also used to identify or to show the personal identity of a person. Furthermore, language shows the social class of a person. A person who comes from the low level class has a different language style from those of the higher level class. As ethnic identity, language can be used to denote ethnicity or the membership of a person or group in a certain ethnic group. Language can also become the national identity as well. Thus, every country has its own national language

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document