Essay On Hugh Seton Nationalism

Hugh Seton-Watson divides nations into two categorized on the basis of their formation process; old continuous and new nations, which he believes is more relevant distinction than historical and unhistorical typologies. The old continuous nations, France and Britain for instance, are those which developed national identity or national consciousness before the formulation of the doctrine of nationalism. They date back to the 1600s before the French Revolution. The old nations emerged through expansion of state, growth of communications, trade, rise of vernacular literature, and expansion of socio-economic ties. The new nations were formed, in a shorter period, during the era of nationalism, where two process, formation of national conscience and national movements, took place simultaneously. The latter was led and permeated by educated elites. Formation of old nations traversed a slow and gradual process where religion, language, geography, expansion of state-power, economic, social, and flourishing of education played an essential role. Elites, leaders, and the nationalism movements played a crucial role in formation of new …show more content…
This latter finding suggests that for these Christian minorities especially, patriotism and ethno-culturalism are critical features of American national identity. Members of these subgroups report relatively high levels of national pride and strongly believe that certain essential attributes define what it means to be American. However, followers of other faiths and the nonaffiliated are less likely to feel this way. The findings presented here indicate that members of less prevalent faiths are less committed to ethno-culturalism, and those with no religious preference are less committed to both patriotism and