Nation

One of the most influential doctrines in history is that all humans are divided into groups called nations. It is an ethical and philosophical doctrine in itself, and is the starting point for the ideology of nationalism. The nationals are the members of the "nation" and are distinguished by a common identity, and almost always by a common origin, in the sense of ancestry, parentage or descent. The national identity refers both to the distinguishing features of the group, and to the individual's sense of belonging to it. A very wide range of criteria is used, with very different applications. Small differences in pronunciation may be enough to categorise someone as a member of another nation. On the other hand, two people may be separated by difference in personalities, belief systems, geographical locations, time and even spoken language, yet regard themselves and be seen by others, as members of the same nation. Nationals are considered to share certain traits and norms of behavior, certain duties toward other members, and certain responsibilities for the actions of the members of the same nation.

Nations extend across generations, and include the dead as full members. More vaguely, they are assumed to include future generations. No-one fixes a timespan, but a nation is typically several centuries old. Past events are evaluated in this context, for instance by referring to "our soldiers" in conflicts which took place hundreds of years ago.

The term nation is often used as a synonym for ethnic group (sometimes "ethnos"), but although ethnicity is now one of the most important aspects of cultural or social identity for the members of most nations, people with the same ethnic origin may live in different nation-states and be treated as members of separate nations for that reason. National identity is often disputed, down to the level of the individual.

Almost all nations are associated with a specific territory, the national homeland. Some live in a historical diaspora, that is, mainly outside the national homeland. A state which explicitly identifies as the homeland of a particular nation is a nation-state, and most modern states fall into this category, although there may be violent disputes about their legitimacy. Where territory is disputed between nations, the claims may be based on which nation lived there first. Especially in areas of historical European settlement (1500-1950), the term "First Nations" is used by groups which share an aboriginal culture, and seek official recognition or autonomy.

Ambiguity in usage

In common usage, terms such as nations, country, land and state often appear as near-synonyms, i.e., for a territory under a single sovereign government, or the inhabitants of such a territory, or the government itself; in other words, a de jure or de facto state. In the English language, the terms do have precise meanings, but in daily speech and writing they are often used interchangeably, and are open to different interpretations.

In the strict sense, terms such as nation, ethnos, and 'people' (as in 'the Danish people') denominate a group of human beings. Country denominates a geographical territory, whereas state expresses a legitimised administrative and decision-making institution. Confusingly, the terms national and international are used as technical terms applying to states. International law, for instances, applies to relations between states, and occasionally between states on the one side, and individuals or legal persons on the other.

Usage also varies from country to country. The United Kingdom is an internationally recognised sovereign state, which is also referred to as a country and whose inhabitants have British nationality. It is however traditionally divided into four home nations - England, Scotland, Wales and Ireland. Three of these are not sovereign states, but Ireland is now divided into the sovereign Republic of Ireland, and Northern Ireland, which remains part of the United Kingdom. The current status, in any case, is controversial and disputed, since there are secessionist movements in Scotland and Wales, and for example, Cornwall is considered by some to be a separate nation, within the country of England. Usage of the term nation is not only ambiguous, it is also the subject of political disputes, which may be extremely violent. When the term 'nation' has any implications of claims to independence from an existing state, its use is controversial.

The term nation is widely used, by extension or metaphor, to describe any group promoting some common interest or common identity, see Red Sox Nation and Queer Nation.

Etymology and early use

The English word "nation" is derived from the Latin term (stem ), meaning:Charlton T. Lewis, Charles Short, (1879). A Latin Dictionary. Entry for natio. Online at [1]

*The action of being born; birth; or:*The goddess personifying birth; or:*A breed, stock, kind, species, race;or:*A tribe, or (rhetorically, any) set of people (contemptuous); or:*A nation or people.

The combining form is built on the past participle form "having been born" of the verb nāscī "to be born". Thus it is also related closely to the English word "native", and more remotely to the English word "kin".It shares a common derivation from the Proto-Indo-European root *gen- "bear, generate, etc." See [2]

As an example of how the word natio was employed in classical Latin, consider the following quote from Cicero's Philippics Against Marc Anthony in 44 BC. Cicero contrasts the external, inferior nationes ("races of people") with the Roman civitas'' ("community").:

"Omnes nationes servitutem ferre possunt: nostra civitas non potest."
("All races are able to bear enslavement, but our community cannot.")M. Tullius Cicero, Orationes: Pro Milone, Pro Marcello, Pro Ligario, Pro rege Deiotaro, Philippicae I-XIV (ed. Albert Clark, Oxford 1918.) Online at [3]

An early example of the use of the word "nation" in conjunction with language and territory is provided in 968 by Liutprand, bishop of Cremona, who, while confronting Nicephorus II, the Byzantine emperor on behalf of his patron Otto I, Holy Roman Emperor, declared:

"The land...which you say belongs to your empire belongs, as the nationality and language of the people proves, to the kingdom of Italy.'" (Emphasis added.)Relatio de legatione Constantinopolitana ad Nicephorum Phocam. Online translation at [4].

It is perhaps worth noting that, although Liutprand was writing in Latin, his native tongue was Lombard, a Germanic language.

A significant early use of the term nation was at mediaeval universities, to describe the colleagues in a college or students, above all at the University of Paris, who were all born within a pays, spoke the same language and expected to be ruled by their own familiar law. In 1383 and 1384, while studying theology at Paris, Jean Gerson was twice elected procurator for the French nation (i.e. the French-born Francophone students at the University). The division of students into nations was also adopted at the University of Prague, where from its opening in 1349 the studium generale was divided among Bohemian, Bavarian, Saxon and various Polish nations.

Nationalism

:Main article: Nationalism

In Europe, especially since the late 18th century, the idea of nation assumed a fundamental political significance, with the rise of the ideology and philosophy of nationalism. Nationalists saw a 'nation' not simply as a descriptive term for a group of people, but an entity entitled to sovereignty, if necessary by the destruction of non-national states. There is no consensus, among the theorists of nationalism, on whether nations were a significant political factor before that time. England and Portugal are seen by some historians as early nation-states, with a developed sense of national identity. Others see the nation-state as a 19th century creation, either as the result of the political campaigns of nationalists, or as a top-down creation by pre-existing states. The modernisation-oriented theorists such as Benedict Anderson and Eric Hobsbawm are sceptical about the 'centuries-old nations' which nationalists claimed to represent.

By the end of the 19th century, however, the idea that the Europe's populations is divided into nations was generally accepted. In the course of the 20th century, partly through decolonisation, a 'world of nation-states' came into existence, at least nominally. That does not mean that there is any agreement on the number of 'nations', on whether they correspond with a nation-state, or on whether any existing state is legitimate. Very few nation-states have 100% undisputed territory and borders. There are many autonomist and secessionist movements, which oppose an existing nation-state, as in Belgium and Spain. There are nations which describe themselves as stateless nations, such as those of the Kurds and Assyrians. Claimed national territory may be partitioned or divided, as in the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland. There are also examples of national identity without a corresponding state, or claim to a state. England is a nation within the United Kingdom, but there has, until recently, been little sign of aspiration to self-government (see Campaign for an English Parliament).

The term "state-nation" is sometimes used, for nations where the common identity derives from shared citizenship of a state. It implies that the state was formed first, and that the sense of national identity developed later, or in parallel. Italy and France are often quoted as examples. However, both countries also have a strong ethnic identity and cultural identity, reflected in widespread attitudes to immigrants. If the nation was defined only by citizenship, then naturalised citizens would be accepted as equal members of the nation, and that is not always the case. Citizenship may itself be conditional on a citizenship test, which usually includes language and/or cultural knowledge tests, see Life in the United Kingdom test.

References

External links

*Dictionary of the History of Ideas: Medieval and Renaissance ideas of Nation

Nation: Encyclopedia BETA