How should we define a 'Nation'

  1. BoratOfPhilosophy
    BoratOfPhilosophy
    Hey there, while I am not a Left-wing Nationalist per se, I do have nationalist leanings in some sense in that I support National Liberation movements and I believe that the proletariat should be proud of their worker's communities. However, I'm not sure I'm a Nationalist in the sense that I believe in Nation-States; I believe that the Austromarxists said that a proletariat nation must be one separate from geographic or ethnic lines. To me, movements like the EZLN and Kurdish Independence Movement are still Nationalistic because they seek the liberation of a specific cultural and ethnic identity from the constraints of imperialism, however they are internationalist in that they reject National borders and encourage activists worldwide to replicate their models of government. Does this still constitute 'nationalism' as you understand it, or is it something else entirely?
  2. Atsumari
    Atsumari
    Yes it is, but left-wing nationalism is so broad to the point that anyone can be one because the definition of a nation is also pretty broad. A nation is simply a large group of people with many nationalities with its territory and form of rule. The controversy regarding this is how we should define "nationality" rather than nation.
    To me, I see nationalism as a means to end chauvinism just like many Marxists see the development of capitalism in feudal society as a means of achieving communism in the future.
    Many forms of nationalism exist on the left, but the key defining factor is that they use nationalism to define themselves rather than having others define them but their end goal is different. The Vietnamese used nationalism to bring a state for Vietnam run by the Vietnamese people. The Yugoslav communists and Chinese republicans used nationalism to transform the identity of the multiple ethnic groups into one people. The Arabs used nationalism as an attempt to unify the multiple Arab nations against America, Israel, and Iran.
  3. Drotnar
    Drotnar
    ...and against communism, I get that Islam is the enemy of my enemy but personally feel that Sharia law is not in the interests of the working class and is a real threat. From my vantage I see capitalism implementing global Sharia Law with the full support of the left, this worries me. I am fearful, only because I don't really want to be a Muslim, but never mind, I'll convert if I have too.
  4. Atsumari
    Atsumari
    I think you misunderstand and are strawmanning the living hell out of me.