Symbols of defeat in the construction of national identity / Steven Mock.

By:

Mock, Steven J, 1972- [author.]

Contributor(s):

Cambridge eBooks

Publisher: Cambridge : Cambridge University Press, 2012Description: 1 online resource (viii, 297 pages) : digital, PDF file(s)Content type:

text

Media type:

computer

Carrier type:

online resource

ISBN:

9781139004022 (ebook)

Subject(s):

Genre/Form:

Electronic books.

Additional physical formats: Print version: : No titleDDC classification:

320.54 22

LOC classification:

JC311 .M54 2012

Online resources:

Click here to access online

Contents:

Theories of nations and nationalism -- Totem sacrifice and national identity -- Symbols of defeat in national monument and ritual -- The defeat narrative in national myth and symbol -- Implications to politics and diplomacy -- Exceptions.

Summary: If nationalism is the assertion of legitimacy for a nation and its effectiveness as a political entity, why do many nations emphasize images of their own defeat in understanding their history? Using Israel, Serbia, France, Greece and Ghana as examples, the author argues that this phenomenon exposes the ambivalence that lurks behind the passions nationalism evokes. Symbols of defeat glorify a nation's ancient past, while reenacting the destruction of that past as a necessary step in constructing a functioning modern society. As a result, these symbols often assume a foundational role in national mythology. Threats to such symbols are perceived as threats to the nation itself and consequently are met with desperation difficult for outsiders to understand.

Item type:

eBooks

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Title from publisher's bibliographic system (viewed on 05 Oct 2015).

If nationalism is the assertion of legitimacy for a nation and its effectiveness as a political entity, why do many nations emphasize images of their own defeat in understanding their history? Using Israel, Serbia, France, Greece and Ghana as examples, the author argues that this phenomenon exposes the ambivalence that lurks behind the passions nationalism evokes. Symbols of defeat glorify a nation's ancient past, while reenacting the destruction of that past as a necessary step in constructing a functioning modern society. As a result, these symbols often assume a foundational role in national mythology. Threats to such symbols are perceived as threats to the nation itself and consequently are met with desperation difficult for outsiders to understand.

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