Banal nationalism

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"Made in West Germany" on a cassette deck manufactured in the 1980s. Subtle references to the nation like these can be examples of banal nationalism, instilling a sense of pride through everyday items without overt proclamations of love for one's country.
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Banal nationalism refers to everyday representations of a nation, which build a sense of shared national identity.[1]

The term is derived from English academic, Michael Billig's 1995 book of the same name and is intended to be understood critically. Billig's book has been described as 'the fourth most cited work on nationalism ever published'.[2] Billig devised the concept of 'banal nationalism' to highlight the routine and often unnoticed ways that established nation-states are reproduced from day to day.[3] The concept has been highly influential, particularly within the discipline of political geography, with continued academic interest since the book's publication in 1995.[4] Today the term is used primarily in academic discussion of identity formation, geopolitics, and the nature of nationalism in contemporary political culture.[5]

subliminal nature. Banal nationalism is often created via state institutions such as schools.[7]

It can contribute to bottom-up processes of nation-building.[8]

Michael Billig's primary purpose in coining the term was to clearly differentiate everyday, regular nationalism from extremist variants. He argued that the academic and journalistic focus on extreme nationalists,

nation-state is in decline, noting particularly the continued hegemonic power of American nationalism
.

Further reading

References

  1. ^ Michael Billig, Banal Nationalism. 1995, London: Sage, p. 6.
  2. ^ Michael Skey and Marco Antonsich, Everyday Nationhood: theorising culture, identity and belonging after Banal Nationalism. 2017, London: Palgrave Macmillan, p. 1.
  3. ^ Michael Billig, Banal Nationalism. 1995, London: Sage, p. 6.
  4. ^
    doi:10.1016/j.polgeo.2016.06.002
    .
  5. ^ a b Sophie Duchesne, 'Who's afraid of Banal Nationalism', Nations and Nationalism, 2018, 24, pp. 841-856.
  6. doi:10.1016/j.polgeo.2011.09.007
    .
  7. ^ Piller, Ingrid (12 May 2017). "The banal nationalism of intercultural communication advice". Archived from the original on 12 May 2017.
  8. doi:10.1146/annurev-polisci-041719-101841
    . Retrieved 27 September 2021.
  9. ^ Wade, Lisa (4 July 2014). "Banal Nationalism". Sociological Images. Retrieved 16 October 2019.

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