Definition of Nation
Posted: Sun Jun 27, 2021 2:46 pm
I was wondering what folks consider to be a nation. Personally I agree with the old school definition, which can be found here
I don't buy into the proposition nation- that is that a nation is an idea, or some other abstract thing. To me, a nation is a people. I cannot fathom myself referring to an Ethopian Japan as the Japanese nation, nor a Chinese England as the English nation. Should a people loose their land, their nation remains so long as they live, and are able to preserve their culture. From my perspective, the last individual of a given ethnicity would comprise all that remains of that nation, regardless of who currently occupies their ancestral lands. It is primarily for this reason that I reject the concept of civic nationalism, as I do not believe it's possible to have a nation without its founding stock. And I no longer regard the United States of America as a nation- it seems to me now more akin to a corporation or an empire.
I don't buy into the proposition nation- that is that a nation is an idea, or some other abstract thing. To me, a nation is a people. I cannot fathom myself referring to an Ethopian Japan as the Japanese nation, nor a Chinese England as the English nation. Should a people loose their land, their nation remains so long as they live, and are able to preserve their culture. From my perspective, the last individual of a given ethnicity would comprise all that remains of that nation, regardless of who currently occupies their ancestral lands. It is primarily for this reason that I reject the concept of civic nationalism, as I do not believe it's possible to have a nation without its founding stock. And I no longer regard the United States of America as a nation- it seems to me now more akin to a corporation or an empire.