Nation and nationalism:

Several approaches to basic

concepts
2019
 Gil Delannoi

gil.delannoi@sciencespo.fr
Office: 98 rue de l’Université,
ground floor, room 006.
01 45 49 50 64
Sciences-Po is located either on number 13 and number 98. Because we might have some meeting in the
office when you are at work on your presentation, please note down this address: 98 rue de l’Université
near the crossing with Boulevard saint-Germain
Nationalism manifests itself as a modern
ideology, whose relations with democracy and
the state must be carefully explored. It also
appears as something almost undefined, given
its various connections with the left and the
right, traditionalist and modernist views, local
and global perspectives, and cultural and
political realities. This class is about nations and
nationalism since the 18th century. It will
provide basic concepts and historical examples.
Nation and nationalism are presented in a rather
neutral way, which means neither nationalist nor
curative. This approach reflects today’s global
understanding of national realities, nationality and
nation-states. As the scope of the course is more
international than French, nationalism will not be
presented as “nationalisme”, which is often understood
as a social disease in current French debate. Examples
will be taken from world history and issues will be
addressed on a world scale. The course will also
compare the different paths of state-building: the city,
the empire and the nation.
 2 quotes
President Macron: “patriotism is the exact
opposite of nationalism” (100 Year Anniversary
of WW1 Ending, Arc de Triomphe, Paris,
November 11, 2018)

President Trump: “we reject the ideology of

globalism and we embrace the doctrine of
patriotism”. (United Nations, General assembly
September 25, 2018, New-York)
 Assignment 1
Presentations :
2 students team up.
A 15-30 minute presentation.
Number of different teams: n (n-1) / 2
300 possible teams if you team up for every
presentations.
Given the number of students in the class: one
or two presentations by every student.
 Assignment 1

Topics: two types:

An important event and an outstanding
personality related to nation and nationalism.

A seminal book by a theorist, a landmark in the

history of ideas.
 List 1
Jefferson (1743—1826) & American Revolution
Mirabeau (1749—1791) & French Revolution
Bolivar (1783—1830) & decolonization in Latin America
Mazzini (1805—1872) & a Europe of nations
Sun Yatsen (1866—1925): from one empire into a nation?
Kemal Atatürk (1881—1938): from empire to nation
Clemenceau (1841-1929): patriotism and nationalism
Churchill (1874-1965) empire, nation, democracy against fascism
Gandhi (1869—1948): nationalism and cosmopolitanism
Mandela (1918—2013): building up one South African nation
 List 2

Renan (Ernest) 1823--1892

Berlin (Isaiah) 1909--1997
Wiebe (Robert) 1930--2000
Walzer (Michael) born 1935
Kedourie (Elie) 1926--1992
Gellner (Ernest) 1925--1995
Smith (Anthony) 1939--2016
Anderson (Benedict) 1936--2015
All of them contributed to the theory of the
nation, nationality, nationalism, nation-building,
national consciousness, or national identity.
Their contributions should be used as
building-blocs in your final papers. To begin
with, we must study and compare their books.
 Presentations 2019

FEB 4: Introduction
FEB 11: Founding fathers of the modern nation :
Jefferson & American Revolution
Mirabeau & French Revolution
FEB 18: Founding fathers of nationalism?
Bolivar & decolonization in Latin America
Mazzini & a Europe of nations

FEB 25: Vacation

 3 → 7
MARCH 4: Relevance of the nation in the 19th and 20 th

centuries:
Renan & the emergence of the nation as a new political form
Berlin & the history of ideas
MARCH 11: The dominant feature: equality or liberty?
Wiebe & popular nationalism (Who we are)
Walzer & the two universalisms (covering-law and reiteration)
MARCH 18: Modernization, nation and republic:
Mustapha Kemal (Turkey), Sun Yatsen (China)
MARCH 25: Wars, nations and empires:
Clemenceau & patriotism and nationalism (WW1)
Churchill & empire, nation, democracy against fascism (WW2)
 8 11
APRIL 1st: History vs sociology?
Kedourie & history
Gellner & industrial society
APRiL 8: Ethnocultural reality vs political myth?
Smith & ethno-nationalism
Anderson & the imagined community
APRiL 15: From resistance to unity:
Gandhi & nationalism and cosmopolitanism
Mandela & building up one South African nation
APRiL 22: Holiday
APRiL 29: New types of nationalism? : Xi Jinping (China),
Erdogan (Turkey), Putin (Russia), Trump (USA). Also Brexit, Italy, Germany,
European Election in May 2019.
 Assignment 1: presentation(s)
• This is about history, contexts, facts, ideas
and interpretations. Please avoid value
judgments and normative statements.

• This three part presentation can be described

as concentric circles.
 Parts I & II
• I. Biography and Context. Underline the
events in relation to the subject. Usually the
shortest part.
• II. Acts, attitudes, decisions, ideas and
Doctrine (about nation, nationality and
political forms). Quote the personality and
author (speeches, declarations, laws,
writings).
 III. The larger circle
• More about effects, results, interpretations.
Broad perspective.
• Quotes can be taken from contemporaries
and historians.
• Talk about the main dimensions of nation and
nationalism: political, cultural, relation to
state-building, religion, ideological current (id
est Enlightenment, romanticism, liberalism,
communism etc).
Joan of Arc & the medieval nation
I. Context: 100 Year’s War
Biography: Joan’s part in
French history.

II. Emergence of a national

conciousness. Patriotism.

III. Interpretation &

impact: narrative, religion,
culture, politics, regime…
C: Joan of Arc
What would be the three concentric cercles if
Joan of Arc were the subject?
Is nationalism relevant in the case of Joan of
Arc? I doubt that.
By contrast, patriotism is relevant because it has
been defined as an attachment to independance
and political liberty since antiquity.
Lady Thatcher
I. Context: the UK
Biography. Her life
and background.
II. Acts and speeches.
Economy, war.
Uneasy relationship to EU.
III. Impact and ideology.
Thatcherism? Did it
spread beyond the UK?
Rousseau
I. Context. Biography.
Main works. Œuvre.

II. Main ideas. Influence.

Relation to French
Revolution.

III. Interpretation :cultural

or political nation?
What kind of regime?
The elephant and the mouse
The elephant & the mouse

• Basic facts Details

• What must not Side-effects
remain unknown to Digressions
the class (Vain) polemics
• Strong relation to Your feeling
the subject
• Concepts and
examples taken from
the course.