patriotism/nationalism
Michelle Davis wrote:
I have tried to find a difference between nationalism and patriotism in the dictionary and can see only a subtle difference between the two. It seems that nationalism is more centered in thought, and patriotism is more centered in feeling, and that nationalism is more about comparing your country to others, whereas patriotism is just plain love for your country without the competition context. Is there truly a difference between the two?
Patriotism can be defined simply as 'love and loyal support of one's country'. Yes, it's centered in feeling–and, as we've seen in past weeks, the emotion is deep and intense.
But when people take patriotism to a fanatic extreme, this is usually called nationalism. (The terms jingoism and chauvinism are near synonyms.) Nationalism is more centered in thought than in feeling; it's actually a political and social philosophy. The Columbia Encyclopedia defines it as "a collective state of mind or consciousness in which people believe their primary duty and loyalty is to the nation-state. Often nationalism implies national superiority and glorifies various national virtues. Thus love of nation may be overemphasized; concern with national self-interest to the exclusion of the rights of other nations may lead to international conflict." So, because nationalism is the belief that national interests and security are more important than international considerations, it often goes hand in hand with a militaristic foreign policy. It also tends to encourage cultural conformity and intolerance.
On the positive side, nationalism has been a means of creating a national identity based a common cultural history. It has also been a means of fostering unity and of preserving political and social institutions. Historically it has manifested itself as a desire for national independence–it's the philosophy behind political movements aimed at national unification, self-determination, and freedom from foreign domination. The American Revolution is only one example.
Lately, newspapers and magazines have been full of quotations about the difference between patriotism and nationalism. The English novelist George Orwell wrote: "By patriotism, I mean devotion to a particular place and a particular way of life, which one believes to be the best in the world but has no wish to force on other people." Sydney Harris, a British-born U.S. journalist, wrote: "Patriotism is being proud of a country's virtues and eager to correct its deficiencies; it also acknowledges the legitimate patriotism of other countries, with their own specific virtues. The pride of nationalism, however, trumpets its country's virtues and denies its deficiencies, while it is contemptuous toward the virtues of other countries...The difference between patriotism and nationalism is that the patriot is proud of his country for what it does, and the nationalist is proud of his country no matter what it does." And finally, Charles de Gaulle, former president of France, said: "Patriotism is when love of your own people comes first; nationalism, when hate for people other than your own comes first."
Carol
