Regional Nationalism

Abstract

Ernest Gellner states that nations are always the result of nationalism. People belong to the same nation if they share a common principle that as a distinct people, they ought to rule over themselves in some respects within a particular territory. The definition includes that people recognize each other as members of the same nation, which unites people, enhance affinity and loyalty to the nation (Gellner 1983, 1- 55). Nation building may as well include regions, which form a community with a Gemeinschaft feeling of a common nationality, which means that its members distribute and share duties and benefits different from the core state. The panel focuses on regional nationalism as a driving force behind the ways in which de facto territories win an entrenched status and on the various forms of self-government that emerge. Regional nationalism occurs in entrenched as well as in non-entrenched regions. When regions and stateless nations have a strong sense of shared identity, it might well replace a state-level identity. Much like states have built a national identity, self-governed regions can do the same in terms of stateless nation building (Keating 2013, 154-161). A history of shared regional identity and stateless nation building are crucial elements in forming a functioning self-government or an independent nation state. However, these crucial elements are not enough: an opportunity must be at hand to mobilize at a vulnerable moment of weakness in the nation state (Tilly 1978, 98-142). Nationalism is emotional and can be a strong driving force within a given territory, whether it is a nation state, a partially independent territory, or a de facto defined region. Nationalism is a widely employed concept that applies to homogenous as well as heterogeneous states. Nationalism can emerge because of resistance by a distinct territory of being assimilated within an expanding state. A strong ethnic nationalism within nonhomogeneous states is a challenge to minority ethnic groups. When territory and ethnicity or cultural/economic differences coincide, conditions for the emergence of a distinct nationalisms different from the core state can emerge. Regional nationalism occurs as well when a distinct region shares a common language with the nation states, as in the case of Scotland. Heritage and culture differ, to some extent the same is valid in Catalonia and Basque country, although homogeneity suffers from a divided language identity. Although nationalism does not always lead to separatism and independence, it does also matter in building a robust and consolidated nation territory from which the government can get fuel to act in domestic and international arenas, as in the cases of Greenland, the Faroe Islands and the Åland Islands. As regional nationalism and nation building are multifarious phenomena, there is a need for more flexible interpretations and conceptualizations to meet reality where sovereignty may take different forms and content. Papers dealing with regional nationalism, its roots, strength, and implications are welcome to share knowledge, discuss and compare theory and empirical evidence.

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