Nationalism - Billig Flashcards
(24 cards)
When does Billig write Banal nationalism?
1995
What does Billig attempt to understand?
Why people die in the name of their nation
What does Billig argue armies reveal about nationalism?
Nation is more valuable than life itself
People die on unprecedented scales for national independence and in defending their nation
People die to protect the principle of nationhood
What example does Billig use to describe the impact of nationalism? (America)
Gulf War, 1990
Sacrifice becomes common sense when there is no ‘peaceful resolution’ - war becomes reasonable
‘Saddam Hussein systematically… plundered a tiny nation no threat to his own’ - not individuals
Bush evokes moral order of nations that affirms the sacred principle of nationhood (as a nation attempted to abolish another nation)
Bush approval ratings - 90%
Opposition was unpatriotic
References to SWW
What example does Billig use to describe the impact of nationalism? (UK)
Falkland War 1982
Argentinian military attempt to take Malvinas - inhabitants administered by British
Britain argued for a principle of nationhood at stake
Thatcher and Foot (anti-militarist) decide to go to war to defend against ‘brutal aggression’
Thatcher claimed herself mantle to Churchill
What does Billig say Western publics are mobilised for (becoming nationalistic)?
Flag-waving warfare
Thatcher statistic
48% of the population say Thatcher as the worst PM - 50% thought Falklands not worth loss of life
End of may - 84% of population satisfied with government handling og issue
What do the examples show about nationalism?
Not about domestic meddling (i.e. protecting citizens from own government) but about international status
Nationalism int he 21st century is not about gaining territory but about the actions of established nations that fight with popular support for world morality and national integrity
Example of nationalism operating outside the context of power
No outcry when US ally Indonesia annexed East Timor in 1975 and massacred 1/3 of the Timorese population - Ford continued to fund Indonesian weapons
Kuwait had oil fields on the wrong side of the abolished border (Chomsky, 1994)
Nationhood operates in the context of power (i.e. US hegemony)
What does Billig write of ideological consciousness?
Ideological consciousness of nationhood at work embraces themes of ‘us’ ‘homeland’ and ‘nations’, morality of national duty and honour
These themes are diffused as common sense
Common sense is international, found in every nation in the world order
Moral aura of nationalism invoked in crisis
What does Billig argue is the common definition of nationalism?
Struggle to create new states or right-wing extremists that may want to extend their borders
Why does Billig see the common definition of nationalism as misleading?
Locates nationalism on the periphery
Nationalism as exotic
Extremists are shunned by sensible politicians of the centre
Guerrilla figures seeking to establish new homelands operate in conditions where existing structures of state have collapsed, at a distance from centres of the West
From the perspective of cities like Paris and London, countries like Moldova/Bosnia/Ukraine are peripherally placed on the edge of Europe
Established nations in the centre of things see nationalism as the property of others, not ‘us’
Overlooks Western nationalism
What does Billig argue about Western nationalism in comparison to nationalism on the periphery?
As with Falklands + Gulf wars nationalism flares up and goes again
It moves in from the periphery as a temporary mood
These intermittent crises depend on existing ideological foundations
i.e. Bush was able to draw on SWW cliches
What type of nationalism is Western nationalism?
Banal nationalism
Complex beliefs, assumptions, representations and practises reproduced in a daily, mundane way in the familiar everyday world
Reproduces established nations as nations
Does not need social movements to draw it’s territories and national status quo
What are two examples of banal nationalism?
- US anthem before every game
- US flag outside a public building has no special sociological genus
Why does banal nationalism go unnoticed?
Nationalism is seen as ‘there’ but not ‘here’
Fascists and guerrillas take precedent
Western nationalism is unnamed
i.e. Bush is not a nationalist
What can be added to the definition of nationalism for Billig?
The ideological habits that enable established nations of the West to be reproduced
Daily indications in lives of citizenry
What is the impact of banal nationalism?
Not harmless or benign
Reproduces institutions with vast armaments
Mobilised without lengthy campaigns of preparation
Ready for battle
National populations immediately support
What does Billig argue about national identity?
National identity is a piece of psychological machinery people carry in daily life
Unclear what identity is
Patriotic identity quiet until crisis under banal nationalism
What does Billig argue connects banal nationalism and the definition of identity?
Nations with confidence in own continuity = conventional West
Not called nationalists
Metonymic with banal nationalism
What does Billig argue about national language?
Way of talking about nationhood
National languages are imagined
Is nationalism a major force for Billig?
Not in comparison to globalisation
What does Billig argue about US hegemony?
US is so globally important that it’s nationalism is so forgettable as it seeks to represent all nations the world order
What does Billig say about imagined communities?
Agrees that nations are imagined communities
Strong psychological dimension
Imagining nation = ideological consciousness
Creates an idea of a natural community = becomes common sense
