Banal NationalismMichael Billig presents a major challenge to orthodox conceptions of nationalism in this elegantly written book. While traditional theorizing has tended to the focus on extreme expressions of nationalism, the author turns his attention to the everyday, less visible forms which are neither exotic or remote, he describes as `banal nationalism′. The author asks why people do not forget their national identity. He suggests that in daily life nationalism is constantly flagged in the media through routine symbols and habits of language. Banal Nationalism is critical of orthodox theories in sociology, politics and social psychology for ignoring this core feature of national identity. Michael Billig argues forcefully that with nationalism continuing to be a major ideological force in the contemporary world, it is all the more important to recognize those signs of nationalism which are so familiar that they are easily overlooked. |
From inside the book
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Page 1
... mediaeval' in today's balance of priorities. The great causes for which modern blood is to be spilled are different; and so is the scale of the bloodshed. As Isaiah Berlin has written, "it is by now a melancholy commonplace that no ...
... mediaeval' in today's balance of priorities. The great causes for which modern blood is to be spilled are different; and so is the scale of the bloodshed. As Isaiah Berlin has written, "it is by now a melancholy commonplace that no ...
Page 20
... mediaeval Europe knew no such nation-states. Anthony Giddens has attempted to specify what new forms of governance ... mediaeval and modern maps shows the novelty of the bounded state. Not only are European mediaeval maps less precise ...
... mediaeval Europe knew no such nation-states. Anthony Giddens has attempted to specify what new forms of governance ... mediaeval and modern maps shows the novelty of the bounded state. Not only are European mediaeval maps less precise ...
Page 21
... mediaeval world seem so foreign today. It is easy for 'us', who accept the naturalness of a 'boundary- consciousness', to think that the nation-state system introduced order and organization into a world of disorder and inefficient ...
... mediaeval world seem so foreign today. It is easy for 'us', who accept the naturalness of a 'boundary- consciousness', to think that the nation-state system introduced order and organization into a world of disorder and inefficient ...
Page 29
... Mediaeval monarchs would have found these evocations of parent-lands strangely mystical. Their sovereignty was claimed to be derived from God; the monarch's possession of a magic, healing touch was taken as evidence of the divine ...
... Mediaeval monarchs would have found these evocations of parent-lands strangely mystical. Their sovereignty was claimed to be derived from God; the monarch's possession of a magic, healing touch was taken as evidence of the divine ...
Page 30
... Mediaeval Europe, in contrast with today's world, was not a place of official vernacular languages. By and large written communication was in Latin. The grammar, which was taught as a basic subject in the curriculum of the trivium, was ...
... Mediaeval Europe, in contrast with today's world, was not a place of official vernacular languages. By and large written communication was in Latin. The grammar, which was taught as a basic subject in the curriculum of the trivium, was ...
Contents
1 | |
13 | |
37 | |
National Identity in the World of Nations | 60 |
Flagging the Homeland Daily | 93 |
Postmodernity and Identity | 128 |
Philosophy as a Flag for the Pax Americana | 154 |
Concluding Remarks | 174 |
References | 178 |
Name Index | 193 |
Subject Index | 199 |
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Common terms and phrases
according American appear argued assumed audience banal banal nationalism become boundaries Britain British called Cambridge century Chapter citizens claim consciousness contemporary context continue created critics culture daily deixis described discourse distinction established ethnic Europe example exist familiar flag force foreign forgetting French global Guardian habits hegemony homeland hopes idea ideology imagined important independence individual interests language liberal linguistic live London major means merely movements nation-state national identity nationalist nationhood natural newspapers ourselves particular party patriotic patterns person philosophy political politicians postmodern present President Press psychological readers represent rhetoric Rorty Rorty's routine seek seems seen sense social society sort speak speakers speech sporting stereotypes story suggested symbols talking tend term territory themes theory thinking tradition United universal waved whole world of nations writes