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Re: Re: nationalism



At 06:34 PM 11/20/2000 -0500, you wrote:
No so fast!  You have to finish reading the quoted passage to the _end_ of
its last sentence.  Sure, all nationalisms are cross-class affairs, but
Jim B. was emphasizing the specificity of anti-colonial &
anti-neo-colonial nationalisms as multi-class struggles _directed
primarily against imperialism_.  In contrast, West European nationalisms,
in the main (though not always -- e.g., Irish nationalism), have been
multi-class struggles to create & maintain capitalist empires (see Robert
Brenner's _Merchants and Revolution_, for instance).  A big difference, in
my opinion!

I wasn't ignoring that difference.

BTW, is it true that Edward Bellamy (author of LOOKING BACKWARD) coined
the world "nationalism" (and "nationalization" of industry)? There's an
example of someone who wanted to transcend class antagonism to set up a
kind of paternalistic (and patriarchal) socialism.

Interesting if it's true, but it's not. According to the OED, the first entry goes to a theological meaning:

1. Theol. The doctrine that certain nations (as contrasted with
individuals) are the object of divine election.
1836 G. S. FABER Prim. Doctr. Election (1842) 189 The several doctrinal
systems, usually denominated Arminianism and Nationalism and Calvinism.

Bellamy was born in 1850 & died in 1898.  And Bellamy's _Looking Backward_
was first published in 1888, no?  So he can't claim credit for
coinage.  That said, his was Christian socialism of sorts, heavily
inflected with the idea of patriotism, so his meaning may have been very
close to the original meaning of nationalism.

Maybe Bellamy invented "nationalism" as a political movement. Anyway, it was Erich Fromm who gave him the credit, if I remember correctly.

Jim Devine jdevine@xxxxxxx & http://bellarmine.lmu.edu/~JDevine




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