1.14 Contending Non-Nationalist Loyalties

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1.14 Contending Non-nationalist Loyalties

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Should nation be the foundation of identity?

Big Ideas:

People may have non-nationalist loyalties such as religion, culture, race, ideology, class, and geographic region.

People with different nationalist and non-nationalist loyalties may contend (conflict) with each other.

Reconciling contending nationalist and non-nationalist loyalties requires effort.

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What are Non-nationalist Loyalties?

Non-nationalist loyalties can be in conflict in a multicultural (or multination) state. People may be torn between their own non-nationalist loyalties and loyalty to their country. The diagram below illustrates some of the non-nationalist loyalties Canadians may find contend with their loyalty to Canada.

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The chart below explores non-nationalist identities.

	Loyalty	Example
Religious Loyalty	Loyalty based on religious beliefs and values	Native Spirituality, Islamic, Christian, Jewish, Buddhist, Hindu
Regional Loyalty	Loyalty based on the people living within a geographic area and the interests of the people living there	Maritimes, Eastern Canada, Western Canada, Northern territories, Edmonton, Taber
Cultural Loyalty	Loyalty based on a shared way of life of a group of people	Syrian, Inuit, Métis, French (Québécois)
Racial or Ethnic Loyalty	Loyalty based on a similar racial background or ethnic group	Aboriginal, Asian, Hispanic,  African, Italian
Ideological Loyalty	Loyalty based on similar ideas about how a society should work, or loyalty to a social cause	Liberal, Conservative, Socialist, environmentalism, feminism
Class Loyalty	Loyalty based on a similar social group in society	Blue collar workers, middle income, low income, upper class

So, what's the difference between nationalist loyalty and a non-nationalist loyalty? The answer to this question is not always easy to determine. And, sometimes they are more difficult to manage due to the potential for conflict.