How do we define “nation” versus “ethnic community”?

A nation seeks self-rule.An ethnic group seeks recognition/autonomy within a state.

 

The conc ept of "nation" is related to "ethnic community" or ethnie. An ethnic community shares a common myth of origins and descent, a common history, elements of distinctive culture, a common territorial association, and sense of group solidarity. A nation is, by comparison, much more impersonal, abstract, and overtly political than an ethnic group. It is a cultural-political community that has become conscious of its coherence, unity, and particular interests.[1] In these terms, a nation has been defined as an "imagined community"[2] or "abstract community",[3] which is at the same time objectively impersonal, and experiences itself subjectively as an embodied unity.[4] Hence the phrase, "nation of strangers".

Nations

Nation may refer to a large group of people who share a common language, culture, ethnicity, descent, or history. Nation can refer to "a people, race, or tribe; those having the same descent, language, and history." Webster’s New Encyclopedic Dictionary defines nation as "a community of people composed of one or more nationalities with its own territory and government" and also as "a tribe or federation of tribes (as of American Indians)". Nation carries varying meanings, and the connotation of the term has changed over time.

Where does identity come from? Different Theories of identity

Primordialism

Identity groups seen as ‘natural’ or God-given

Identity groups seen as immutable, permanent fact of human society

Assumption that identity groups can be clearly defined based on criteria such as language, kinship, culture, or physical features

Political culture arguments (e.g. Samuel Huntington’s Clash of Civilizations)

Instrumentalism

Elite theory of identity politics

Rational choice theory

Elites manipulate symbols and feelings of identity to mobilize a following

Without elite leadership, people with certain common traits may not recognize themselves as part of a particular group

Constructivism

Emphasizes shifting interpretations of symbols and stories

Post-modern understanding of political culture as set of symbols subject to interpretation

Argues that cultures change but societies collectively (not just elites) construct identity

Identity communities are “imagined” rather than based in physical facts (Benedict Anderson 1991)