1.8 Why Should Nationalism Matter to Me? 

Should nation be the foundation of identity?

Big Idea:

  • Nationalism develops out of the concepts of identity and nation.


Why should you care about understanding what nationalism is, its effect on people, and its impact on countries?


On the previous page, you learned about how belonging to certain groups can help people feel pride for and loyalty to the groups to which they belong. Pride can influence a person's perspectives and actions, particularly when great importance is given to these feelings of pride.

"Stand fast and remain united and all will soon be well." - Cherokee Chief John Ross


Nationalism tends to be the root cause of much of what goes on in the world today. A certain amount of nationalism can be good for a country. People who identify with their country have feelings of loyalty and pride in their country. These feelings can help bring people together, to unite them, and to bring about change for all people.

For instance, in 2014 hundreds of peaceful protesters marched in Ferguson, Missouri after teenager Michael Brown was shot. This (and many marches) forced an evaluation of how law enforcement deals with criminal activity, but more importantly, it brought to light the importance of conversations about race relations in the United States.
Ferguson March, Missouri, Day 4

© Wikimedia Commons

"Day and night cannot dwell together." - Duwamish Chief Seattle


©Wikimedia Commons
(click image to enlarge)
Chief Seattle's quote highlights that, much like day and night,  nationalism may also cause a division between the peoples of a country or even between countries. In a country with only one ethnic group, ethnic nationalism may not pose much of a problem.
However, consider a country with many diverse ethnic groups, each with their own distinct sense of collective identity or belonging.  What if one or more of those ethnic groups develops a high level of ethnic nationalism? What if the ethnic group's nationalism also includes a belief in the political and territorial independence of that ethnic group? In the map (left), you can see the multiple ethnic groups that made up the former Yugoslavia in 1991. The nationalist tensions between the groups led to mass killing between Serbs, Croats, Bosnian Muslims, and Kosovo Albanians.

As you can see, nationalism can both nurture and disrupt a country's unity. What happens when nationalist loyalties conflict with racial, ethnic, or linguistic loyalties? Much would need to be done by all citizens of a multination ("many nations") country to hold it together. A lot of tolerance would be needed by all the groups for that country to survive. A belief in civic nationalism would become very important in keeping such a country united.

Go to your textbook, Understanding Nationalism, and read pages 30 to 33. These pages will further your understanding of the concepts of ethnic nationalism and civic nationalism.
Take notes using the 1.8 Notebook Organizer (rganizer.docx" target="_blank" class="">Word, PDF, Google Doc) about what you have read. You may refer to the tutorial How to Take Notes. When you are done, return here to continue.


Are there countries where ethnic nationalism plays a role? Most of the world's countries today have more than one cultural and/or ethnic group, so what actually exists are multicultural states made up of many nations. This is also known as a "multination state", a state of made up of many nations. Review the examples of the relatively peaceful multination states of Canada and the United Kingdom below.


Canada — a multination state whose population is comprised of 

  • an Indigenous population of First Nations peoples, and 
  • numerous cultural groups that immigrated to Canada at various times
Canada is a multicultural state often considered a civic nation due its citizens' belief in the Charter of Rights and Freedoms, which binds Canadians together. Past challenges of ethnic nationalism include separatist movements from predominantly French Quebec, and the resettling of large numbers of refugees and immigrants seeking refuge from war and persecution.


United Kingdom— a multination state whose population is comprised of

  • English, Scottish, Welsh, and Irish, and
  • numerous other cultural groups that have immigrated to the United Kingdom at various times
While the United Kingdom is a civic nation, it has faced past challenges of ethnic nationalism from Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland. More recently, the United Kingdom has had to address challenges with the arrival of Islamic extremism and the influx of refugees and immigrants seeking more stable lives.


Both Canada and the United Kingdom have faced the challenges of ethnic nationalism in the past, but they have managed to survive as multination states. Canada and the United Kingdom must address changes in national identity due to the changing ethnic and cultural makeup of each state. However, problems related to ethnic nationalism still continue, and other multination states face similar challenges from movements of ethnic nationalism brought about by its citizens.