Global Nationalism

The concept of nationalism is kind of difficult to explain simply because modern people (which is you) are so familiar with nationalism. Nationalism is everywhere, it is so common and so accepted that we take it for granted. Nationalism is basically belonging to, rooting for, and fighting for, your own country. The world is made up of a couple of hundred countries - but it was not always that way. What is Nationalism? These are the things that contribute to Nationalism in America: - We all live within the same well defined borders (if we go to far north or south, we cross a line into someone else's nationalism, Mexico or Canada). - We all speak a common language (English) - We use a common currency (The almighty dollar) - We have a history that defines our country (Pilgrims and the Mayflower, the Revolutionary War, the Civil War, etc.) - We have a common religion (America is about 80% Christian). - We have symbols that define our nation (the flag, the eagle, Uncle Sam, statue of liberty, etc.) - We have a common culture (blue jeans, shopping malls, fast food, suburbs, Hollywood, cars) - We pay taxes to the same government which in turn protects us and our land. - We feel a connection to other Americans, a feeling of belonging and togetherness. Not only do we belong to our country; we support our country in competition against other countries (the Olympics for example, or perhaps the little league world series when a team from New Jersey plays a team from Taiwan). We also pay the ultimate support for our country by joining the military and possibly dying for our country. We think it perfectly normal to have an army of Americans ready and able to fight and die for our nation and flag. What does this have to do with global studies you may be asking? The thing is - it was not always like this. Nationalism is a relatively modern concept. Today people are French, American, Vietnamese, Brazilian, etc. They live within the borders of these countries and consider themselves citizens of these countries. But a few hundred years ago people in France did not think of themselves as French. They would have been more loyal to their local lord than anyone or anything else. There wasn't that feeling that everyone that lived within certain borders was French and all belonged to and supported the same country. Technically Nationalism is the belief that one's greatest loyalty should not be to a king or an empire but to a nation of people who share a common culture and history. And a nationalist is someone who thinks that people of a single "nationality," or ancestry, should unite under a single government. Let me give you an example. The Austro-Hungarian Empire was a huge empire in central Europe. But it was made up of a bunch of different people each with their own languages and culture. Eventually the empire broke up as each area created its own nation. People with common languages and cultures wanted to have their own country, they no longer wanted to be part of a giant empire. The nations created out of the Austro-Hungarian Empire were: Hungary, Germany, Austria, Poland, Serbia, the Czech Republic, Croatia, etc. Previously in Europe there was no clear border between countries, because there were no countries, there were kingdoms. It was hard to tell exactly where one kingdom ended and another began. But during the 1800's nations began forming as people recognized their own common language and heritage. They made their own countries. Another good example of Nationalism was Greece. Greece was part of the Ottoman Empire (an Islamic Empire centered in the Middle East). But eventually the Greek people looked to their common history and their common language and formed their own country. They broke off from the Ottoman Empire and became Greece.