Ideology
Nationalism
Nationalists generally see the nation as a central source of identity, loyalty, and political organization.
01
Identity Card
- Name and etymology
- From Latin natio ("people, tribe").
- Type
- Political ideology / movement.
- Founder or origin
- No founder; emerged from French Revolution and Romantic movements.
- Date and place
- Late 18th – 19th c. Europe; spread globally.
- Adherents
- Pervasive worldwide; nearly all states organized around national identity.
02
Source of Authority
- Primary scripture
- No scripture; influential texts: Herder, Mazzini, Renan, modern theorists like Anderson.
- Source of truth
- Shared history, culture, language, often blood/soil mythology.
- Authority structure
- The nation-state, political leaders, cultural institutions.
03
Core Beliefs
- Core idea
- Nationalists generally believe each nation should protect its identity and, in many cases, govern itself.
- View of God or ultimate reality
- Not inherent; often allied with civil religion or majority faith.
- View of humanity
- Nationalists often see people as deeply shaped by shared language, history, land, culture, or citizenship.
- View of the world
- World organized into competing or cooperating nations.
04
Practical Implications
- Purpose of life
- Implicit — serve and strengthen the nation.
- Ethics
- Often communitarian; ranges from civic patriotism to ethnic exclusivism.
- Afterlife
- Not a doctrinal claim.
- Key practices
- Flags, anthems, national holidays, military service, civic education.
05
Comparative Lenses
- Main branches
- Civic, ethnic, religious, cultural, liberal, right-wing populist.
- Relationship to others
- Can ally with religion or oppose universalist ideologies (liberalism, Marxism).
- Common critiques
- Linked historically to war, exclusion, and xenophobia.
- Modern adaptations
- Populist nationalism, identitarianism, post-colonial nationalism.
Simple educational summaries. For religions, claims are attributed to scripture or major source texts where possible; where no scripture exists, wording describes what followers/supporters generally hold. References are starting points, not exhaustive academic citations.