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    banal nationalism

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    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PDF or read online from Scribd
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    16 views7 pages

    Billig - Waved and Unwaved Flags

    Uploaded by

    stefan morar
    banal nationalism

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PDF or read online from Scribd
    Flag for inappropriate content
    of 7
    BANAL NATIONALISM Michael Billig Because atonal has deply tected contemporiry ways of hiking i notes. sted. One canna step ose the worl of nations arrose tf the aSsumpbions and commonsense abs which ce frm vag wai thar worl Ana}ss must expect affected by what shoul ete eect of the sry. [= Te easy to suppor hat people ‘natural speak dierent languages. The assumpon scl shake, What aes the problem even smote coenpe stat thee ae common see tsuptons abou the ate of "atonal il exablahed mations, teen nat to suppone that "atonal isa overheated ection, which mpl the property foe “The assu mpion enables‘ to forge-our masons our acl io be remer-aered then Wwe us step beyond what seems eo be corto see Rolanad Barthes claimed tha deology speaks wth the Vane of Naas (0977 "97, As hers have pointes our, seoogy comprise the habs of bechavour and tet which cmbine to mak any sil world sppeat those tho inhabit the narra world (Dhl 1991, Eagleton 1991; Fao 192; McLain 1986; Ricoeur 1986), By ths reckoning ology oper 10 snake people forget that tho world eben history conus Ts "atonal he eology by which he word of natn as come sem th "ature world ~a5 there could nr posi be a world without Erbe Galner as writen hatin todas word, a mam ae] mast have a natony ‘shemunzhaveanoseandwocaes (19836) leems'naurl to have ch Meni, dhe eased nations, people donor generally fore hele national Mei. asked "who are you" people may no respon y a ving thi ve ‘atonal intiy(Zavallon: 1993s, 19930). Rann, asked which & her ‘sasonaliy, do hey respond ‘ve forge although tc answers maybe not be gute saighforwaed Condor 1996 National ienaty soo ony sone ‘hing whichis hough tobe natural o pores but ab something tal ements. This remembering, nevertles, ivoles «forgetting oF ether thee i complex dialectic of remembering ad orgeting A will sents alc Important inthe banal reproduction of nationals in esac ato nee, ‘hundred yeas ago, Eze Rena lined thet forgetting war" ci clement i che ccaton of nations (1990: 11) Every maton mst have stor, ik own collive memory. Ths sememberng satan colleive forging: the nation, which edebrats i antigay, forge Iisa eeceny. Moreover, aaions forget the vlence which brought tem ino execs, for, at Renan puted out mationalunty oalays elected by means of atl ah 11) ‘Renan’ img ian import one once atin established epee forts consinged existence yoo a coletiv ariel, The Galt, howeter ‘more complex than Renan imped. Noe only the pst forge, 2 © ‘nel bing recalled, but so thee 2 parallel forging a the presen At lle sugested atonal enyn each ats remem beens ‘tis embedded in router of lie, which constantly remind, og, nator ood. However, these reminds rapping’ reso mumtous a tey ate such fail par ofthe socal eavronment, that tey optte mid, ‘athe han mindy (Langer 199), The remeber, ae heng expences 2 remembering yin eft orgoten. The atonal fg, hanging cue ble baking or dsating fill-in occur ils th forge ‘reminding. Thousands upon thousands of sch Mags ach day hang ley Publ places. These reminders of maonhoo hardly open the fw ally Sitenon, a cians rash pas tie diy Baines Theres double nel Rena plied that intllecuas are involv inthe «reation of amnesia Hstovians creatively rember cology coven {cof the at while oveloking whats dicen. Tay, svat requ fog’ he national presen. Te bina epson, a whch att’ is mds and county aged end vo be gored by sols The, ‘00, have fled ro poe the Bao he forecourt. Th, Rena’ imc ‘expanded: bstorians might forge ther aon’ pst, whl soil sees ce Fong ts presenerepdson, “The peter chap argue that he scopic forging no fotos, ‘ost abe lamed onthe abies of parca scholar tad, {fis a ideological paren in which our nationalism (ht of exabished atoning the United Sates of Amc) ngs cess appears ntionalsm, dsappesig io the natura environment of ce. Us Ar the same tine, nationalism i defined az something dangerous ‘moon and ial ie conened a0 poe 8 eon, whch Mowe save is plas the wold of nations. The atonal of mations i projected (oo ober ‘Complex bbe of though natalie, and thereby overlook, out nation sun, vile projecting naomi, aan rao whale on wate. At the oe of hs swell ammeia er'a reed concope of natn, which ‘fines "ationabam t parae socal movements thee tha to naion Stes oly the pasonstly waved fags are conventional consieel to Be ‘remplain of maonalom. Rowrne Mage =the Nas of ou" evant ~ slip onthe xtepryof'sarionainm’ And having ped hough the categorical tts they pet Toe There eo eter there fom trac them om ‘hie, The double nest crigcly examined inthis chapter. This involves examining the rhetoric ofthe siologal common sense which rotaly Seduce monaln to 4 supe phenomenon and which forgets to alae bow ests nation states ae daly reproduced ae nations the marowng tthe concer of natonalin ha ed the forging of baal nationale then eB hoped thats widening ofthe concep wl ad tos semerberng. The ‘ouble ner ist be reversed bys double remembering: the banal atonal tyrwhich mation sates ae reproduced sto be emerbered, ae the habits of though which have encouraged anger ofthis reproduction, \Waven AND UNWAvED FLAGS “The pla. ceofnasiona age in contemporary Me bearsa moment's comieraon. arsellarateion shouldbe paid to the case of the Unie Sets, hone filing-saon forecourt are areyed with uncounted Stars and Stripes. The US lepers br deceed ei laws abou how the Bg should be payed ad whore forbidden o be done, om pain of penalty, tthe precious pate af sae nd srspen, Desecration ofthe Hag emt with reacons of erage (Maris O91. Ofall counts, he United Sse arguably today the home of wht Renan cll he cl ofthe fag (1980, p. 7 The ssheopoogin, Raymond Feth (1973) none ofthe few sie of te role of fags in comtemporary le, esinguthed berween the symbole and ‘naling functions of fag. The forerunners of maser national Rags were ‘fen emmployed as signals edocingenopy in sitnions of uncer. The Imeiaeval gonfann presented clang pone fo sles inthe confion ‘ofthe batleound. The someon, in ancient Gree, indicated the pesence of ‘the commander to et Ships ofthe Ne (Petia 192) Since the eighth {era compler sem of pling wth Rags has ben deeoged or veel Se sen_in all these cases, Mags ae priate weal means of comme cana messages By const args Firth the aational ag toa pesos fymbol i fncton, being ‘condensation symbol and fc for sneer out Scie” (p 56) The national Na, according 1o Beth, symbols the Sacred hart ofthe nation; i revered by loyal ees ad rly deed by thome who wih to make prow I carn no iformatonl moe Aidhough, a8 Fic points ou the manner of 2 fags diay ca, on speci fccason provide a signal A anal Nag hug at half mast ay communicate thedeath of an amportine gure. Noewistanding ths, te mj of national ag ily obese bythe modem cizen in tbe cour of eine wl ot be senallng sparse messe (Othe aisencons, besides that betwen synbol and signal can be made The gna eo be elfectve, must past into the conscious awareness of repeats Homeve, se aymbol need not have 3 dict enetonal impact, at Firth seemed‘ asume, That Beng one can ang betwen he wh whch eaomal Hage are treated. Some ae comcouly waved apd salted Symbol, en accompanied by 4 pageant of outward emotion, Others = Probably the mos numerous in the contmporsty envionment remain Unsalted and uowaved. They are metely there as symbob, whether on Forecourt or fhe 0 3 telesion sens a sich they are ven arly 2 second glance Hom day to day. ‘Te dino hereon the waved and unsaved or slated and unated) fag eon be ilseated oth relerence eo Roland Barter’ case ey Mth “Today” Harber dns an iu ofthe mapaine Pas Math, che wat ‘lee na barber shop-On cover, 's young Negro im French amy uniform is salting, with his ees upited probably edn the fold ofthe color (Bane 1985: 101) artes docs noe make car wheter he Teor wich the slice wat sang wast he sen inthe photoraph For the sake of station, le us presime i was. The teecoloued fag whch the solder acl faced was cary» lag be lated athe apropeate way: However, ‘he phorgraphed gon the Pari Match cover wa ot for sali Icon he sot the come ofthe barbershop. Eyes cou ick oer tobe reminded nconciouly of te myth of pera power, whone photographic mage Mathes silly ante But wo oe stops to wave sles image ‘of symbol The barber doesnt sagen up ia iat sight hard “mating tha ofthe phorogrphed "Young Negro’ The asomerin the barbers hai, eating gto the cover athe muror, dow ot sping wo patiotc Seno, aking Made aad scorn the serve ofthe eatin The again a fhe up and pr dows without ceremony. Uist, without ri of eral, {he Pas Math fg toed no the rabbi i “The young soldier was salting 3 sgl ag na uni sane, which was caught bythe photographer, Thowsande pon thousands of the Pare Match fg were bed avd at and daca They yn ober fa ome of tmhich do have recognzabiespaling functions. The French Tricor when played on lover of bread; can indents am approved standard of baking, oF son deta rae. When the goverment ves such Hgts de ales, a Monseu Ballad’ di i Spember 19, he Tec not ony Senate gut of baking ako Ag the quay ofthe natn radon ndthe qual ofthe natonal tate, benevolent serving he Say bres of ie ‘The umcouned millons of Hage wich mack dhe homeland of dhe United Sexes dor nor demand immediate, bedi tention. On ther Nagoles by the Sct ane sched on tothe unorms of pub lfc, they ae waved, stn and unonced. Thee ae mainder lags Pea i al che waved Mag wht ch decorate the fair emonment were tbe famoved, they would foutealy be noted rather lke the cock hat ope king he rede ad as Sree changed ito greens and oranges, there would be clos, scandaized ‘Sting, a well ar cminal hares allow ‘One can ak wha a al hee unwaved ae doing ora in he USA but sound ue wot In an obvious Sens, they ae providing Baal reminders of atonbovod they area unfgsingy The reminding volved an he Toute Eins of lagging soca concosacty irs rom the Callecive fememberings of 2 commemotation, The remembering mindless, ‘ecurng 5 oter aces are Being consol ease in "These rousine fap ae dierent frm tote that seme cll aeson "0 ‘elves and ha symbolic mesa Blin Norther land divided Ineo micvallysupicour Catho and Protewant dsc nthe former, the ish colors wide doplayed te a peur of defence aps Beith sovereign, Inthe backstrerts of Pretan meghbourhonds te heroes Sr often. pated wth the pater of the Union Jack (Beate 1999) Thse ae ‘ot mines symbol, foreach side is conscious apayng i positon 25d ‘Eancng a rom ie neghbour The coor, nth espero ‘hose hanging o® pbc Budge out ofthe border One might pred hat, Sr natgonate becomes exblahel in woven, and faces ‘evernal chabenge then he symbols of nonhood, which mighrone have een onssou ay dnlied, do ar dapper rom aight, bu inead Bocme Sltbed axe the enitnmens ofthe cabled homeland Theres they ‘Bovemem rom symbole mindless o miadesines ‘Yauar Arba the lade ofthe Palestine Liberation Organization declared sta peace del with sl was Becoming are posby Te Pale sate ‘hin one pap. Son the Palestine flag wl yon the wall, the minaes and ‘he cathe of Jerse’ (Guard, 3 September 1993) raat wasn, the notiwn af the fla a metonyn by cing the Hg e was fang Plsane ‘atone I ewer cursive waving the fg of Plein ews oping. thatthe Fags woud actully be waved within the fecovred homeland. Yen 3 longer cw Aral’ hope was that the waving woul sop Te Pasi figs, Aisplayeclvousnely on walls and rot in Paleive sae, would be bey noticed oy aitieny lel going about the basins. Occasional) on sei days am Independence Dy or am Anal att Thanksgiving Parade = he Suess Wold be led with waved, commemorating figs lags re not the only symbols of madern statehood. Coins and hank ots ‘ypially sea national emblems, which remain uonoced im day Baap ttanactcons, Neming the ania cureney can he's highly seb ad ‘Simone al Basness, specially the easy days of 3 ation, In 1994, President Fano Tada of Croatia desided hat the dina shoud be replaced by he Lana which was the Uni of rene wed nthe Nazbacked state of Coatiabrween 194] snd 1945. "Kana she ee forse ary ren which Ina forests of Croat, The present defended bis deion by claiming thatthe kuna dends ous nations! tadion and confems our Sovereign” Indcpndent, 8 May 1994). Th ado and sovereigny would become Smblcaly banahaed when the ctzenry exchange tbe Lanse without 3 Stead ought for fary restores, President Tadao hv of Nazism, In this way, the tation, and the Nazt here, would be either ‘cinsioyfemembere, nr forgutens it would be preserved in day ie Paychcogkaly, conus emeberng aod Fogeing te 9 pol oppo- ses whch excell middle round. Simaly raion are not ether ‘omciunly remembered (or e-pemorte) sn Mag wing clleie act, tr conned go collate amnesia. They can be simataeously present and isnt im actions which prere collective memory witout the consus ‘ctv of india emerbering Serge Monconc ha sessed how most focal sity ie elf remembering, hough tis no expences Sack Sov and nella acy af lx ees or esa, et mow sa choles ar fir were amnesic’ (1983: 10), Belaniou and thoughes Ie never toc eeted anew, bat eey flow, and this repens friar puters ven when they change sch perm. To act and pea, one must Fenenber Neveiles, score do not spcly experince cht Scone 38 ‘pein an, ordinary, spears ae noe comious ofthe extent o whch ‘her ows woud repeat And thereby transi, pas ramears and Semancs. if banal le sto Be routinely pracied hen ha orm of remembeig ust occur witout conscoueawarenese cue when one dong ther tin ‘lling footing Pere Bours noon of ee hab express wel hs lactic of ememberng and fogeting, The habs refers ote dispositions, practi and rus ofthe fae social word describes the second ance which people must acqie im order to pase mndlesty and also ‘andl through the sna runes of daly ie Burden emphases the ‘ements of remembering andthe fogeting “The bebaur~enbodied story, ‘nvrnled a3 second ate and 0 forgotten 3 hisory ~ i the active reser ofthe whole past of whic the produc (1990: 6) Pars of sia ie become habia of one ann doing embody the past One nigh deci the roses of routine formation ae ebabtton hooks ation and sme becom tuned ito routine Babies, thas, they become enue. The ess thatthe pst senhabedin the presen ina tlaketc of forpotenvemembeance,Preadet Tajan as hope that the ei and, with he istry ofthe pevous Croatian epic would Become Cnhabaed as 4 Ining,anremembered colectve memory. Once enka ‘woul ag te vey things which be Preset coud oly memon minty nd contonersal. The fngting ofthe national pst of which Renan wrote, scoinully ‘eproducelia natonstate. Thewnwved atonal lg wheter leery athe orm of the fag oF [J the rosie pass othe mate media = eae in contemporary day fe. These reminder fab sere to turn background space sto homdand space The fg may bey at Pith ‘eggs 3 fos for sentiment, at thi ce ot men that each dg a 83 powcholopeal magner for seme. Fat fom iy toy the Mags ae ‘enored The Mapging and reminding are hab overlooked inthe rwtins Of he eae eahabed nao homeland. Hor aNo nasat naTtoNauis [Ass een menioned there isa double nel fa the socials ‘nveaigation of atonism concn. Tie neglect othe unwaed gs by ‘hizeny going about thet diy bases i paral bya theoretical pet ‘Theenhatheanon of rationalism wii eablahed non ial gored by convents onal solo common seme: Only the waned o ied fag tends ‘oe nowed: I sociological categores ae net for catching sce of ale, then tenet, which socolopts have marked ‘nasonaim’ i 4 rmarkably ‘salon ean ise oe ued primarily fr catching exo aes eh Wen specimens. The collectors Of the specs tnd no fo nd in Ma Stet, USA, wth ct ped for new vari, ‘The scandard defiion of atonal tend to locate nationalism a some thing beyond, or prior the cab nao state In his ep he sol Scene dentine follow wider pattern of thinking, For example, Ronald Rogowshs (195) eins natinalian st the sri’ by memes of masons “or etizoal autonomy, unit ad independence’ He came tht this defi. ‘on matches eeryday dcourse' ding tat we routinely and propery peak ‘of Welsh, Quebecquois and Avab nations pp 88-95 for sme wean ‘fai alm ee trai, Coakley 199; ScReainger 1981). As wl be seen Rosowaliscorectin tating tha this ithe way tha ‘aoe sed ‘outineh-~ hu whether mote peopel” another mae. The defnton in concentrating on the Sriving oe somomy, unity and independence, eres how these things are maimained once they hase Ben achieved. No aerate ‘cam is oed or the nese comples, whch mais the autonomies ‘Nationalism hss ypicly senate force which ets nation sates or hich threatens the aby of exiing aes. Inthe ter ase atonalio ca take the guise of separate movement oe exten fie sne. National ‘in appears» developmental sage, which matress (or nation have ‘ouowr-once hey ar fly eased. Thi sumption ob fond in Ka Deas (966) classe say Natali and Soil Cammancaton, Move fecenty, i undedies Bross (1985) valuable study Sota Precondition’ of atonal Reval Exrope. Heo postulates thee age of aan, The fc wo sages dese how irs in the atonal dens awakened By Iles ad then, bow itis ar the ial sage ecurewhen 9 mae ‘90 ‘movement keto analaehe atonal ante sation. Thee ae no further stages describe what happens to nasonlm eae the nation-state it ‘sublihed I af national suddenly dasppear ‘Ratoni, however, doc aot ently dapper, scoring 0 ths ews t becomes someting spe to everyday bi. threatens the established sate dis esublahed routs, or returns when those orderly routines have Troken down. Ordinary le nthe normal wate the nor fsa which the haps tend fone assed be bal unex ples and 0 ‘atonal Navonalism, by coma x extesorinary, pois chp so essnaly deen "Antony Giddens describes nationalism a phenomenon thai primi eycholapca (98S: 116 x lo Giddens 1987. 178) Nana ecient fie up When the ‘sense of ontlogial secu $s putin jeopardy by the “isopion of rounes (Giddens 1985-218 In dese cucunstances, gressive fos of ebjetidentication tend to occu, withthe esl tht iis invest rear emononal energy in the syle atioood adn the promive tof songledeship b+ 218) Noonan, according o Cadens, ours teen onary ie is ipeeds ie the exception, eather than the rule Navona feelings are ot So much a prt of ela daytonday socal le ibid 215), ut ‘tead vo be fay remo fom most of he avis of ay 20> ‘ay sci if Ordinary ie alfestel by matali setinents ly in cy unusual aod often telaively easy condition? bids 2181 Thue, the Prvchoogy of anal that ofan extraordinary tmtiooal mood srking ‘St eeacdinary times. Basal out, fa om bong bearer of nanan, ke barnes agains nationals “Aalst as Galen, are serving thet ‘atonal for outbreaks ‘othe nationalist pason, ich tein tines of acl dpe sd which te tefleted in exten soca movemet. n vo deng, hey are poning 0 4 ‘ecoguzable phenomenon ~ indeed, ope whch ir sil too famiar in the enemporary world. The problem ix not what sich there debe a8 atonal, bur what they omit. f the tem “atonal” app ony ferefl soil movements somathing sips from theres aatnes est the fags om hoe filing sation frecoures do at exe “The uci wider than ha of lags. concerts acon eat and | sumed naturlne tbe extebched nation sat Kh began sich ‘denies, far rom being maintained by hal rutin a, at, sported by extraordinary moments which payhily parallel the extraocdnay 10- ‘ene when nationale movement atk. A deat payhlogy thee ‘ons eather than a han peychology of routes, aight be evoked 6 expin Hen in nation-state Al pation aats have ecco when oar £04 ner are sagen, athe sae celebtes fl, Then, sentiments of patie “motion, wich the eto the year have to fe hep far frm the bans of tainary ec sarge fort. The yea aka of he modern ation would replicate in miniatures longer pla Rstory: be moment of sant oan OF Namonauss “motion puncte Inger pede of seed calm, during which atonal Seen a appear from ihe ‘Creel, each nation as i paonal days which die the normal ours: There are independence dy prs, hanging dye and coven ‘Sonn wrens naon'scienry commemorate, oily emembers elf and Ishi ry (Boock 1974, Chaney 1993; Eaksen 1983). lecould beard that these ocsons ar suficento fg nationhood, so thas remembered daring the rest_of the Year, when the Banal routine of pate hfe predominate Cerny grea maton days ae often experienced a being. "memorsle “The parteipant ate awate tha the day of celebration, om which the ation collie remembered, il 4 mamene which to be rorembere (il 1990, alg and Edwards 1998), Afterwards individual an fas will have ther steres eo rel about wha they did on he day he prince and princess Imac othe quen was crowned (ili 192; Zeger 1977. “These are conventional caaials of sari emotion, forthe partpans| exper ro have special ings, wheter of oy sora one, THE ay [as teers marked asa ime when normal ounce ae pat no abeyance, and when cra emorions shouldbe eae. Paria maybe uncer Bw 0 ‘mark he great national ocason sn the banal acing of home but the cera my il eves bath the species apd the convensonal te of the exaion. The Mass Obsrvaton Stay asked Brians to record how they ‘pentthesr econ he Sayin 1957 when George VIwascrowned aking leh sng woman rcled in er day Wasken by conscientious mae cook stumping shout in kche ote “Teoble by vague neces for waking hasand with sural pecan Sicepy wondered wheter God Save he King!” would be appropri (Gstband ker Happy-New-Yeurs and Many Happy Reta, Fully swroke enough to realize that shaking wat sun Jennings Midge 1987: 106) Another oui comensonal parr, mt be ound for the pei day ‘eck Kama tcl the eveday rue Ti spe rue mes eat {ie acww ptr he ex coto, Th he worn wont hwo compl ih an ppropeiy pate gectngInth repe Be wice onan ‘snot am nae mule, whch yest inp the vec or Sn wnlraosaiedctns ls dependent upon, abd ssa by, sal {oem vohch theses cn be med pen te faa comes Ils a day routine sacks sy Bnew yar ess “Te pat as fetal cation no tha he anal ag canbecoosouiysatedbsh metpborcay and aly However ee tym mee th oly sac forms tin what ony lll sons inayat cso heal tena cars and sae des noc wir sway. The pay waved fag yb wpe up nd Pa Tack in he at, eady for nen years independence day, bu chat the nd fgg. Allover te world atone dina the Aap, ya dy. Une the fags on the grea days hee Hage se Iepsly nwaved, unsalted, tnnobeed Indeed, seems Stange fo suppose tac ozaional even, bracketed ff from oednay lie ate sucess 2 coming remembered anal ni. wuld scm more ely that she en par of 3 more anal way of Hei the mason state “Te meron oF THe ernest

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