Gellner - 1133 Words

Ernest Gellner Ernest Gellner is widely seen as one of the most important theorists in the study of nationalism. Gellner was introduced to nationalism and identity politics during his youth. As a Jewish Czech, Gellner was forced to leave his home in 1939, fleeing Prague for England in the wake of Hitler’s takeover of Czechoslovakia. Upon his return to Prague after the war, he found a much changed city that had lost most of its multiculturalism. Not feeling at home, Gellner went back to England to pursue an academic career. From his experience as an ‘outsider’, he develops his first thoughts on identity politics and nationalism. For Gellner, nationalism is the imposition of a high culture on society replacing local, low cultures and†¦show more content†¦Yet, there is an argument to be made that the structure of Chinese society remains largely familial and rural. As well, the increasing income gap between the average Chinese citizen and members of the elite class ha s led some to question whether Chinese society is returning to a pseudo-feudalistic structure. Thus, despite Gellner’s belief that the social makeup of an agrarian society is incompatible with an industrial society, is it possible that China manages to successfully incorporate elements of both? Summary: This is Gellners classic modernization argument explaining the origin of nations. The author argues that nations are completely modern constructions borne of nationalism which is primarily a political principle, which holds that the political and national unit should be congruent (1). Nations were the result of pressures created by the demands of the industrial revolution. As soon as people from widely different backgrounds began to converge on cities, it was necessary to create some form of common identity for them. Perhaps more importantly, the demands of capitalism, specifically the need for constant retraining, demanded that there be a common language among workers. These demands were met by creating a common past, common culture (created by turning low folk cultures into high state cultures) and requiring a common language. With these commonShow MoreRelatedWitchcraft Is The Existence Of Magic That Is Manipulated For Both Good And Wicked Essay1495 Words   |  6 Pagesb ecause of the harmful and malicious practices [witches] hold within these societies. The Tibetan and Kathmandu hold remarkably similar beliefs about witchcraft such as, â€Å"Women inherit witchery, and is executed though emotional traits and the mind† (Gellner, 1994; Levine, 1982). Next, these societies have formed beliefs about witches based on noted practices and stories of witchcraft. To include, another major factor that the Tibetan and Kathmandu believe about witchcraft is the deviance and darknessRead MoreA Nation Essay1373 Words   |  6 Pagesformation of a nation as it shows the solidarity shared by the society. Even though the above argument show the formation of social ties between groups, it did not mention how solidarity is being maintained. Gellner try to fill in this gap by introducing the concept of will and consent (Gellner, 1983: 53). The importance of this concept could be illustrated with the following illustration. A man is made to feel as though he has a choice in deciding his affiliation to a community. The question on whyRead MoreDesire to Retire: Increasing Age Diversity in the Workplace1200 Words   |  5 Pagesdecision or change processes because their supervisors expect that their remaining career will not be long enough to warrant participation (Schermuly et al., 2014). This reinforces the negative stereotype that older workers are less productive (Backes-Gellner Veen, 2013). Age Discrimination Policies Discriminating policies can affect the hiring process when older workers do not receive equal opportunity to participate in human development activities (Schermuly, Schroder, Nachtwei, Kauffeld, Glas, 2012)Read MoreThe Role Of Industrialisation, The Modern State And Ethnicity1627 Words   |  7 Pagesoutlined will be illustrated through the real world cases of Britain and the Kurds. In the study of nationalism, one of the major schools of thought is the Modernist one, represented by scholars such as Michael Mann, John Breuilly and of course Ernest Gellner. As their name suggests, modernists adamantly claim that nationalism is something that is entirely a feature of modern society. More specifically, modernism argues that nationalism emerged with the birth of the modern nation-state, which is to sayRead MoreReview of Warwick Debates on Nationalism2396 Words   |  10 Pagesis the complete denial of the role ethnic ties and cultural sentiments in nationalism. In an intellectually thrilling contrast, Ernest Gellner responds to Smith’s idea of a pre-modern nationalism by posing the question, â€Å"do nations have navels?† This question literally attempts to find the source of creation of a nation, or ‘do nations have a creator(s)?’ Gellner strongly establishes that nationalism gave birth to nations, and not vice versa. And nationalism itself does not have an intended creatorRead MoreNationalism And Its Impact On Society998 Words   |  4 Pagesuntil it encompasses the whole society. What makes each of the following modernist theorists distinct is their contribution to this picture. Deutsch introduced the idea of nationalism as a process; Anderson introduced the importance of print media; Gellner described the role of industrial society and mass education; and Hobsbawm showed how traditions, once invented, perpetuate nationalism. The issue with these theorists is that they assume perfect homogeneity and that nati onalism suddenly manifestedRead MoreCaste System And Social Inequality1156 Words   |  5 Pagesgets richer. In Nepal, the caste system appeared in the ancient era. Sanskrit scripture describes that the caste system has been in practice through ‘Second millennium BC’ (Gellner, D. N. 2007) that divides the social groups based on Hinduism and feudalism. Caste system was prevailing until 1950. Later on, back in 1962 (Gellner, D. N. 2007) in Nepal, the Government officially declared caste system as outdated and illegal. Because of the Hindu subjugated law until 1990 it was vigorous in the societyRead MoreDiversity Promotes A Higher Potential Of Success For A Company Essay1543 Words   |  7 PagesTogether they will comprise of a team with different perspectives and interpretations of ideas. These factors contribute to the knowledge pool of the workforce which in return have a direct effect on their abilities to problem solve. In Uschi Backes-Gellner and Stephan Veen’s research on the effects of age diversity, he discusses diversity’s costs and benefits depending on the tasks of companies. A variety of ages is particularly important when applied to companies that rely on innovative rather thanRead MoreEvidence Of Current Nationalism Trends1492 Words   |  6 Pagesin a more realistic approach glorifying the state as a prominent actor especially when engaging in war or conflict. However, with globalisation the era of war under state glorification and state identity seems rather forgotten and pre-historical. Gellner (1994) assess the loss of nation sentiment and loyalty through the exploration of industrial revolution, highlighting that citizens are uprooted and thrown together in an unfamiliar surrounding forcing them to lose any state constructed identitiesRead MoreNazism as an Extension of Nationalism Essay870 Words   |  4 Pagesthey had Israel. A cultural group can be considered a nation, and historically, some ideas such as Zionism, Communism and Trotskyism were considered nations. According to Gellner: Nationalism is a political principle which maintains that similarity of culture is the basic social bond. (p.3 Gellner, 1997) This idea of belonging to a nation creates a unified group, and in some cases, the sense of the individual can be lost. Nationalism has been a major driving force