POLU9NT Essay

While it is true that the nation and the state are two wholly different forces within society, it
is undeniable that the two share a deep connection to one and other. Nations will often
work to build states for themselves, and the stability and longevity of state will often
depend on how well they can construct a national identity. One way in which a national
identity is built and reenforced is through banal nationalism. This essay will discuss the
nature and importance of banal nationalism in sustaining a nation state drawing from a
verity of sources and evidence. Ultimately arriving at the conclusion that banal nationalism
is vital for the sustainability of the nation state.
When the term nationalism is considered by many, the images that it conjures are ones of
great battles for the souls of nations. The struggles of indigenous peoples to overthrow
colonial masters or fascist armies marching off to conquer their neighbours. Nationalism is a
spirit to be invoked during times of war and crisis, it is bold and dramatic and is an even
rarely seen in stable, settled nations. Yet this is not the only form of nationalism that is
found within societies, nor is it even the most common. For that we turn to the concept of
Banal Nationalism. First introduced by Michael Billig in his book Banal Nationalism he
described it as “The ideological habits which enable the established nations of the West to
be reproduced.” (Billig, M. 2010). In start contrast to the obvious and dramatic displays
usually associated with nationalism which typically occur on very rare occasion banal
nationalism is every day displays of the nation that will often go unnoticed by the public. A
flag hanging from a public building, or a national anthem played at a sporting event. To
many, these displays are so ordinary that they become unremarkable and will often go
completely unnoticed and it is this quality that we find some of the power of banal
nationalism (Billig, M. 2010). The every day and ordinary nature of these symbols and habits
allows a population to internalise the idea of the nation as they move through their daily
lives. It is often easiest to notice these displays of banal nationalism when they are seen in a
culture other than our own. For example, In the United States, School children are expected
to give the following pledge of allegiance every morning of every day. “I pledge allegiance to
my Flag and to the Republic for which it stands: one Nation indivisible, with Liberty and
Justice for all.” And while to individuals outside of the cultural context of the US, this may
seem like an obvious and fervent display of nationalism to the individuals who have
internalised such displays as being the norm they are ordinary and accepted as a part of life
unquestioningly (Billig, M. 2010). An important aspect to recognise about banal nationalism
is that it’s ordinary and unassuming nature does not render it benign. As Hannah Arendt
wrote “Banality is not synonymous with harmlessness.” (Arendt, H. 1963). The comforting
normality and the seemingly peaceful nature of banal nationalism some argue are the
aspects that render it the most dangerous. The ability of Banal nationalism to fly under the
radar while still exerting power over individuals and the idea of the nation allows it to
continually reenforce and establish the nation in the minds of the citizenry. By reproducing
institutions and ideas it can allow for massive scale production of weapons, swift
mobilization for forces and most critically, a population ready and willing to use those forces
against their perceived enemies. Another element of banal nationalism is the idea that, far
from being a phenomenon that occurs on the outskirts of society, nationalism is deeply
rooted in modern modes of thought. In the minds of many, the existence of the nation and
the national identity are taken as a given, as natural and inevitable as the dawn. To billig
however, these assumptions and beliefs serve as evidence of the effects of banal
nationalism. Modern scholars often downplay or outright ignore the presence of
nationalism, taking the constructed elements of the nation as a given to instead focus on
other things. For an example of this assumption of the nation being natural and how this
assumption serves as a form of banal nationalism we turn to British news media. Regardless
of the form it takes, be it print or digital or the political alignment of the piece of news
media, all of them address the consumer as a member of the nation. The assume the
existence of the nation as an immutable fact that cannot be altered and take the consumers
attachment to the national identity as standard. These small displays of nationalism serve to
implant the idea of the nation as something natural in the minds of the population, further
serving to reinforce the nation (Billig, M. 2010). It should be noted that while most of the
time, banal nationalism goes unnoticed, when it does become noticed by a population, the
symbols and habits that serve to reenforce the nation can quickly be challenged and
dismantled. A key example of this would be the Black Lives Matter protests in the US, in
particular, black football players refusing to stand for the national anthem. Here protestors
are challenging the national myth of America being a land of equals by refusing to
acknowledge and respect one of the symbols that reenforce that national myth (Guardian.
2016) By doing this they are attempting to make people consider a more complex and
realistic history of oppression and inequality in America.
It is often assumed that groups of people with shared historical or cultural elements, such as
language will naturally seek to form a nation together. Particularly amongst scholars this
drive towards nationhood is assumed to be an unavoidable part of human nature. This
however is a misconception, born of the ubiquity of nationalist ideology and in order to fully
grasp the ways in which nationalism (an in particular banal nationalism) shapes and sustains
nations we must first forgo this assumption of the nation being a natural and inevitable
element of society. After having left such ideas of the nation being natural it is easy to see
how the nation primarily exists not on a map or in the United Nations but rather in the
minds of the citizens. The idea of nationhood is one that is constantly believed in,
transmitted and reenforced in the minds of the citizenry and this is where we see the role of
banal nationalism in maintaining the nation state (Billig, M. 2010). If nations can be thought
of as imagined communities that exist in the minds of the citizens, then the nation state can
be thought of as the nation given form. A political entity that is sustained and maintained by
the shared ideas of nationhood in the minds of the people it rules over. This reliance of the
idea of nationhood is often why state will engage in nation building project and why banal
national ism is a key tool in such projects. State will often encourage rituals and behaviours
that subtly reenforce and implant the idea of the nation in the minds of citizens further
ensuring their own existence, an example of this can be seen in the modern Turkish state.
From the ashes of the ottoman empire a new republic rose to power in Anatolia, knowing
that creating a national character for its citizens was essential for its own stability the new
Turkish republic set about on its nation building project. One particularly notable way it
went about this was through engraining these nationalist rituals and behaviours into the
education system. Initially symbols and rituals that would connect students to the old
ottoman identity were scrubbed from schools in an attempt to sever students’ relation to
that identity (Meşeci Giorgetti, F. 2018). These rituals and symbols were soon replaced with
one’s that would connect students to the new Turkish nation such as the “New Republic
Day” which celebrates the establishment of the Turkish republic or the “National Sultanate
Festival” celebrating the abolition of the Sultanate (Meşeci Giorgetti, F. 2018). These acts
fostered a sense of unity and created a national identity and character within the students
of the new republic through the repetition of these rituals and ceremonies. Even the
educations system itself, being structured as a national institution rather than a religious
one played a vital role in fostering the national character. Religious symbols and rituals,
much like the symbols of the old Sultanate were abolished from schools often being
replaced by the national symbols and rituals of the new republic. In the modern day it is
clear that these nation building projects that the Turkish republic engaged in have been
highly successful, fostering a strong national identity amongst the Turkish people and
creating a strong and stable nation state (Meşeci Giorgetti, F. 2018) For perhaps an even
more poignant example of why nation building projects and the acts of banal nationalism
they use are vital for sustaining a nation state we will examine a nation state that failed to
carry out such project and collapsed as a result, Yugoslavia. Much like Turkey the Republic of
Yugoslavia was a relatively new nation that came into existence after the end of the first
world war, one that contained a variety of different ethnic and cultural groups. Unlike
turkey however Yugoslavia was a federation made up of a number of different republics
each of which was allowed significant degrees of autonomy withing the greater republic of
Yugoslavia. Instead of engaging in nation building projects to create a single unified
Yugoslavian identity the various groups and republics within Yugoslavia grew more and
more distant, dividing themselves primarily along ethnic lines. In particular the six republics
that made up Yugoslavia in the 1960’s and 70’s was given more control over their
economies and given separate armed forces not connected to the armed forced of the
central government and following the death of President Josip Broz Tito (Who was one of
the few unifying figures in Yugoslavia) in 1980 the nation only became more divided with
the various republics each seeking more power and influence for themselves. Eventually
these ethic tensions boiled over and in the late 80’s and early 90’s the nation collapsed into
civil war leading to the breakup of Yugoslavia and the creation of the modern Balkan states
(Denitch, B. 1996). From these two examples it is easy to see the vital role that banal
nationalism plays in nation building projects. Constructing a unified national identity in the
minds of the citizen is essential for the stability of nation state and this identity must be
continually reenforced in the minds of the citizen through acts of banal nationalism.
Without these acts nation state will often be subject its instability and in the worse cases
total collapse.
In conclusion nationalism is not just found in the bold and obvious acts of national pride that
are rare and dramatic but rather nationalism can be found in nearly every aspect of
everyday life. The language of the media, the common symbols and rituals that citizens are
encouraged to partake in, all of these things serve to create and reenforce the national
identity in the minds of the citizenry. In this framework Nations primarily exist in the minds
of the citizens as imagined communities that are created through these shared behaviours
and rituals. In order for nation state to exist and sustain themselves they must engage in
these nation building projects, creating a national identity for the citizens otherwise
instability and collapse may be inevitable.
Bibliography
Billig, M. (2010) Banal Nationalism. London: SAGE Publications Ltd
Meşeci Giorgetti, F. (2018) Nation-building in Turkey through ritual pedagogy: the late
Ottoman and early Turkish Republican era. Available at:
https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/0046760X.2019.1676921 [Accessed:
27/10/22]
Denitch, B. (1996) Ethnic Nationalism: The Tragic Death of Yugoslavia. Fourth edition.
Minnesota: University of Minnesota press
Guardian. (2016) Colin Kaepernick sits during national anthem over treatment of minorities.
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https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2016/aug/27/colin-kaepernick-national-anthem-
protest [Accessed: 27/10/22]
Arendt, H. (1963) Eichmann in Jerusalem: A Report on the Banality of Evil. London: Penguin
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