Week 2 : The National, the International and the Global

Week 2: Doing International Politics

Revising Last Week: Changing Roles of Theory

• Overview:

  • Traditional IR theory focused on policy relevance and prediction of outcomes.

  • Current approach prioritizes analyzing the present rather than making future predictions.

  • Contemporary political theory is increasingly informed by the practices of social movements and actors.

  • Acknowledgment that lived experiences alone cannot substitute for theoretical frameworks.

Theorizing in International Politics

• Approach to Theory:

  • Engage with theoretical traditions such as realism, liberalism, Marxism, postcolonial theory, and feminism.

  • Aim to explain political phenomena and changes by identifying causal relationships.

  • The theorization starts as a provisional generalization based on patterns in social phenomena.

  • Distinction must be made between negative generalizations (stereotypical thinking) and positive theoretical insights.

Understanding Theory

• Nature of Theory:

  • Theoretical work represents a provisional attempt to generalize and find rationality in events.

  • Involves using interconnected ideas, methodologies, and frameworks for understanding complex political dynamics.

  • Theory is inherently self-reflexive, evolving with shifts in historical and political contexts.

Analyzing Nationalism

• Nationalism in Politics:

  • This week's focus is on utilizing theory to analyze the emergence and significance of nationalism.

  • Exploration of the connections among national, international, and global dynamics through specific theorization by Benedict Anderson.

  • Core Reading: Benedict Anderson's Imagined Communities, emphasizing the concept of nations as "imagined communities" and their development in modern history.

Thematic Questions for Seminar

• Why might nationalism be compared to religion?

• How credible is the analogy of nationalism to organized religion?

• Can you articulate Anderson’s argument regarding nations as "imagined communities"?

Additional Contextual Readings

• Required texts:

  • Anderson, B. (1984) Imagined Communities.

  • Bayly, C.A. (2004) 'Introduction' in The Birth of the Modern World: 1780-1914.

Practicing Theory: Negotiating Historical Change

• Historical Trends:

  • In the 19th century, global changes heightened the perceived differences among communities, often expressed similarly across cultures.

  • Challenge lies in explaining significant political transformations, such as the development of nation-states and imperial structures.

Theorizing Nationalism

• Benedict Anderson's Definition:

  • Describes a nation as an "imagined political community" that is both limited and sovereign.

  • Emphasizes that members of a nation imagine a sense of communion despite not knowing most fellow members personally.

Performativity of Nationalism

• Ernest Gellner's Perspective:

  • Contrasts nationalism as merely a self-awareness awakening with the concept that it invents nations artificially.

  • Anderson critiques Gellner's formulation, emphasizing the difference between fabrication and creation in nationalism's emergence.

Possible Origins of Nationalism

• Influential Events:

  • The Treaty of Westphalia (1648), Enlightenment culture, the French Revolution, and 19th-century revolutions contributed to nationalism's growth, though no single event predominates as a clear origin.

Nationalism and Religion

• Anderson on Nationalism:

  • Proposes that nationalism emerged in response to societal shifts spurred by Enlightenment disillusionment.

Secular Rituals and National Belonging

• Comparison of Rituals:

  • Anderson draws parallels between religious practices and secular rituals associated with national identity, such as reading newspapers, which serves as a modern communal act despite individual solitude.

Print-Capitalism and Linguistic Unity

• Anderson's Arguments:

  • Print-capitalism stabilized language, fostering a sense of national identity through written rather than spoken language.

  • This era saw the gradual awareness of shared linguistic communities as integral to national identity.

The Rise of Nationalism in the 19th Century

• Contextual Development:

  • Official nationalism arose in reaction to popular national movements in Europe from the 1820s onward, reflecting elite interests while responding to mass national sentiment.

Nationalism's Contradictions

• Emerging Tensions:

  • As nations and empires sharpened distinctions, similarities in nationalist practices proliferated, leading to a complex political landscape.

20th Century Developments

• Post-World War I Shift:

  • The aftermath of World War I established the nation-state as the prevailing norm in international relations, influencing global political dynamics.

Further Questions for Reflection

• Evaluate whether nationalism exacerbates divisions or can foster unity.

• Discuss Anderson’s notion of nations as 'imagined communities' and provide examples.

• Explore the relationship between national identity and globalization.