A Comparative Study of the Philosophical Evolution of the Doctrines of ‘Nation’ and ‘Nationalism’

Abstract

The nourishment of the concepts of ‘nation’ and ‘nationalism’ as political doctrines mainly by the European scholars since the 18th century altered the course of ideological action for the whole of the international community of states and their respective philosophies are still affecting deeply the global socio-political order. The establishment of the erstwhile “League of Nations” and “United Nations” after the World War I and II respectively was the ultimate practical manifestation of the said notions. The map of the world has substantially been changed since World War II because of the infiltration of the concepts of ‘self-determination’ and ‘self-rule’ into communities oppressed by European imperialism and the consequent emergence of various countries as independent states after the downfall of the colonial empires. Scholars, however, agree that because of the lack of cultural and ethnic homogeneity within their respective social fabric, many of these new states are still states without nations hence can be classified as nations in being or nations in hope. Time and again, the ruling elite in such states has to confront and suppress the sub-national tendencies, which often turn into violent demonstrations in pursuit of their objectives. Keeping in view the importance of the subject, the present study comparatively analyzes the philosophical evolution of the doctrines of ‘nation’ and ‘nationalism’ propounded by various scholars and establishes that these key political concepts have varied ideological bases and their applicability depends upon the social context and historical evolution of every society.