Source: Pexels
On 6 June, which is Sweden’s national day, historian Herman Lindkvist made a post on Facebook expressing how he felt lot of confusion when members of the “cultural elite” as in the media were questioning the national day while celebration of the national day as in USA was a “normal thing” to do.[1] However, recent discussions about and criticisms of Trump’s behaviour showed that 4th July was not a day without political debates around collective identification. As the libertarian Reason magazine published its title “Trump’s militarized fourth of July parade makes America less great”.[2] There was no need to celeberate by behaving in sense of “pathological sense of victimhood”, as Isiash Berlin wrote in his book “The Crooked Timber of Humanity”, and in sense of national inadequacy as the case is in France. Instead, the message was that Americans celebrate the Fourth of July joyously with food and recreation.
As Tucker argues in his book about right-wing collectivism, disagreement and confusion are parts of the political life in a political community as a nation.[3] Tucker exemplifies the meaning of the term nation by referring to 19th-century historian Ernst Renan writings about the nation which also inspired von Mises reasoning about classical-liberal view on nationhood. Not everything from Renan’s essay and reasoning can be applied as sensible or correct today but parts of his reasoning still be relevant for contemporary analysis as the following five criteria:
- Dynasty. The view that there is ruling class which has
created a nation as on basis of wars, treaties, alliances which can also remind
of European feudal experience. Renan wrote at that time that nation can exist
or be created without a “dynastic principle”, which for example was the case of
the French revolution.
- Religion. The view that there should be one religion
per nation. But as history show, nations have been communities with members
having different religions or different types of the same religion. Liberal
ideas a religious freedom and harmony led to acceptance for different religious
identifications within communities.
- Race. The view that there should be one race (in
modern sense as in USA based on skin colour and social constructions) per
nation. Renan argued that even if the race was a large factor in primate
societies, as tribes, creation of more civilized societies as via music, arts,
literature, education, trade led to reduction of meaning of race during
establishment of larger political communities. Also, thanks to modern science
it is known that there is not “pure race”.
- Language. The view that a language is the most vital
aspect of nationhood. But having a same language is not always equal to having
a same nation or political community. Canada and USA both have English, Brazil
and Angola have Portuguese. Renan wrote that “languages invite people to unite…but
it does not force them to do so”. For example, this is can be seen in cases of individuals
having different dialects if feeling irritated in their interactions will try
to speak more loudly and stronger on their local or regional dialects as in
Stockholm and Scania.
- Geography. The view that nations are decided upon
geographical boundaries. As history shows, nature and geography can be overcome
as in cases of Hong-Kong belonging to United Kingdom or that Riga during 17-th
century was the biggest town of Swedish kingdom. Renan wrote that “I know
of no doctrine which is more arbitrary or more fatal, for it allows one to justify any or every
violence.”[4]
So is there a way to explain a single factor to account for
people’s sense of attachment to a political community? Is it about loyalty? Or about fiction? Or ideas? One
keyword is – affection. As Tucker explains it in relation to Renan[5]:
“In Renan’s view, nationhood is a spiritual
principle, a reflection of the affections we feel toward political community—its
ideals, its past, its achievements, and its future. Where your heart is, there
is your nation. This is why so many of us can feel genuine feelings of joy and
even belongingness during July 4th celebrations. We are celebrating something
in common: a feeling we have that we share with others, regardless of religion,
race, language (this is, after all, a country where “Despacito” is the number
one pop hit), geography, and even ideology.”
Similarly, can be said about for example 9 May (Europe
day). And even if one day there will be some kind of world federation or United
Planet of Humans with institutionalized global citizenship and democracy there
will still be place for public holidays, civic rituals and celebrations on
“sub-global” levels as in villages, towns, cities, regions, countries and
unions.
[1] Facebook. Herman-Lindqvist.
Publication date: 2019-06-06. Downloaded: 2019-07-17. Website: https://www.facebook.com/Herman-Lindqvist-769626599763426/?__tn__=kCH-R&eid=ARDmt0jSCpnPwEAj49n798ZpjDVSvrTlUS7XEbt7D02p57DK2CY8MgsshkY7tYmqMkNwJJYxScvOBlfT&hc_ref=ARQpAoJxY4wfPdmg-mfQXH30F55i6eL2MKim1oKyo0XpPbnvh24NWPMhSSSGdNVFQXg&fref=nf&__xts__%5b0%5d=68.ARASDlBIYiwyaR0DNzirDG7dAbqPDBBJiV2nX0YRet7iKirAYAM8DYS7_ICdnWGpL218F9nrtem5YFI6H6WwgGCVrTaucVdnrBlAALY6Y_MVMTUvPTMqTIs3U0e7j8U7sq_wVKUt9UNYWgeMQyb5qIDyrlkr4My-lqr8hRPQ6E3e2xuGhpJ5R3xuM_LKhiQNuNfNkWDR7k6PRBzOqgSUKeMtlDglf2NZjezu0l0H4NJEogpWq6ovv8SKy81GJEOzoJFKfThUFI8eWizHc7XdlKx6tcpHxwegopF_7ZRjLXrLzKW6zSHVXW-cWK0vbgRVei3JFNs68JeLpbeEJQ
[2] Reason. Trump’s Militarized Foruth
of July Parade Makes America Less Great”. Publication date: 2019-07-04. Downloaded:
2019-07-17. Website: https://reason.com/2019/07/04/trumps-militarized-fourth-of-july-parade-makes-america-less-great/
[3] Tucker, RWC. p.57-60
[4] Tucker. RWC. p.61. Rennan also wrote
that: “Man is a slave neither of his race nor his language, nor of his
religion, nor of the course of rivers nor of the direction taken by mountain
chains. A large aggregate of men, healthy in mind and warm of heart, creates
the kind of moral conscience which we call a nation.”
[5] Tucker. RWC. P.64
