‘Nationalism’ and ‘Patriotism’ –A Confused and Confusing Usage

Nationalism and Patriotism may connote something similar, yet they mean different things. These two terms are often wrongly used interchangeably. This erroneous approach has been described as a confused and confusing usage[1]. This confusion is pronounced that there is no generally agreed origin of nationalism. This should surprise considering how popular the term is among fighters for democracy and identity seekers. What is apparent however is that majority of the authors agree that the existence of a nation or nationalism is not determinable by any test outside of the individuals concerned about it. It was for this reason stated that “a nationality exists when its members believe that it does” [2] and that “two men are of the same nation if and only if they recognise each other as belonging to the same nation.” [3] It was against the background of this confusion that Coady speculated that the concept of nationalism arose in the context of culturally and ethnically unified communities who either had or wanted to assert a political identity and sovereignty. It was Coady’s opinion that as such groups became dispersed or diluted by invasion or migration their political aspirations became inhibited or implausible, and a more pluralistic group with an overarching claim to political authority. Read the full article here.