Definition of a nation-state (draft)

Functional definition of nation-states Draft: what is a nation-state? Mainstream (dictionary-type) definitions of a nation-state, often emphasise some form of congruence, between nation and state. In a minimal version, a state is a nation-state, when its boundary coincides with the boundary of a nation, or its culture. These definitions are flawed, and not only because the entities are non-comparable. They confuse cause and effect, and in doing so obscure the intentional origins of nation-states. The typical congruence of 'people', 'culture' and 'state' is best seen as a consequence of a nation-state, rather than its essential nature. Historically, the origin of states is placed as far back as the Neolithic, and ethnic groups are also 'ancient' in that sense. The modern nation-state is not. What happened to trigger their formation? The answer seems to be nationalism, as an ideology and a political movement. Nationalism makes the nation, and the nation precedes the nation-state. A comprehensive definition of a nation-state would therefore take account of preceding political factors. In other words, it would start with nationalism, and proceed to the nationstate, as a consequence of nationalism. However, many researchers would reject such a definition as 'too political'. I will therefore try to define the nation-state in terms of its own features, but concentrating on intention and instrumentality, rather than congruence. From congruence to structural-intentional definition In practice, neither nations nor cultures have geographical boundaries, but we can map the distribution of individuals, who belong to any specific group or category. Congruence then implies, that most members of nation A live inside the borders of nation-state A1, and most members of nation B live inside the borders of nation-state B1. That seems insufficient, in itself, to classify either state as a nation-state. More comprehensive versions would include other factors: my point is that congruence definitions are undermined by the incomparability of the territorial state, which has clear spatial boundaries, and non-territorial entities such as a nation or a culture. Defining a nation-state in terms of functions, goals, and intent, not only avoids the incomparability, but will facilitate moral judgement on each nation-state. Some will say that ethics has no place in nationalism research, and that nations and nation-states are beyond moral judgement. It is however clear that states act, and actions can be judged. The nationstate does more than simply coincide with the nation. Its specific functions relate to the structural goals of a nation, every nation. The list below is abstracted from nationalist party manifestos and proposals, national constitutions, statements by nationalist politicians and national governments, and thousands of nationalist posts on social media. Paul Treanor, September 2023 1 Functional definition of nation-states National self-determination is a familiar example of a structural goal, expressed through political demands. It is not the only one, however. Logically, it is preceded by an existence claim, which historically has often been disputed. Structurally every nation also seeks permanence, which is equivalent to 'future existence'. Future existence, in turn, requires self-replication. Although this term may seem unfamiliar in the context of nations and peoples, 'self-replication' is simply the logical opposite of cultural assimilation. Although assimilation is probably the greatest threat to nations and ethnic groups, they also face external threats, in the worst case genocide. Security is therefore an implicit structural goal of each nation. Closely related to the threat of assimilation, is the structural necessity of authenticity. To remain distinct as a nation, the nation must retain its specific national character, language, culture, and identity. Without these it will ultimately cease to exist as a nation. The norms for authenticity of language, culture and identity, are primarily the historical language, culture and identity, that is, characteristic of preceding generations of the same nation. In other words the norm is assumed to be ancestral, even if the ancestry is largely fictional. The priority of authenticity and the ancestral norm, make the nation contra-utopian and resistant to social idealism. In practice, the structural commitment to authenticity is often expressed as political demands for ethnic, cultural and linguistic purity. The nation is also necessarily homogenous since the national language, culture, and identity is the same for all members. (If members have nothing in common, then it is not a nation, nor even a category.) Beyond permanence, survival, and authenticity, nations seek to 'flourish'. That is a vague term, which indicates that members of the nation are more than simply examples of a national category, but contribute to the national character of the nation. It is sometimes contrasted with the historical cultural oppression of the national community. More speculatively, in the absence of external threat, nations seem to collectively seek intensification of the national culture and identity, in depth and frequency. Intensification is perhaps comparable to religiosity, and goes further than authenticity and purity. Aspects of life and culture, which were previously neither 'national' nor 'foreign', acquire an explicitly national version, with other versions deprecated as 'un-national'. With these structural goals of the nation in mind, the functional utility of the nation-state is apparent, and that can form the basis of a definition. That does not exclude congruence as a characteristic of the nation-state: the borders of the state congruent with the distribution of the nation's members, the territory congruent with the national homeland, or the political community congruent with the national community. All these are relevant characteristics, but do not seem essential for a core definition. It is not absolutely necessary, for instance, that the majority of the population identifies with the nation, or that most members of the nation live in the state, or that the national language is widely used. Paul Treanor, September 2023 2 Functional definition of nation-states Elements of a definition What elements could be included in a function-oriented definition of the nation-state? And which could be excluded, because they are features of a nation, rather than a state? Each nation-state is by definition a state, and shares the general characteristics of a state. It has a population, a territory, and a government, and it interacts as a state, with other states. A nation-state is part of the class of nation-states, which are a subset of the class of states. Nation-states resemble each other. The nation-states are distinct from other historical classes of state, such as city-states, dynastic states, multi-ethnic continental empires, and colonial empires. They are also distinct from all hypothetical non-national states. The plurality of nation-states derives from the plurality of nations, which is intrinsic to the idea of a nation. Nation-states are in principle non-expansionist, in the sense that territorial claims are limited to territory associated with the nation, or claimed to be essential for the nation. The nation-states implicitly claim exclusive legitimacy as a class of states, and are latently hostile to other types of states, which are from their perspective inauthentic or oppressive. The nation-state is intended to implement the self-determination of a nation or people: it is an intentional form of state. The nation-state claims sovereignty, specifically to implement the nation's claim to selfdetermination. All states claim territory, but the nation-state claims territory in order to implement the sovereignty claim, in turn derived from the principle of self-determination. The nation-state holds territory on behalf of the nation. The legitimacy of its territorial claims is often derived from historical occupation, by the ancestors of the present nation. The national territory is considered sacred and inalienable, in contrast with dynastic states. Unlike non-national states, the nation-state is intended as an instrument of the nation, and is therefore functional with respect to the nation. It protects the nation, facilitates its existence, and facilitates its survival. Paul Treanor, September 2023 3 Functional definition of nation-states The nation-state derives its legitimacy as a state, primarily from its intentional, instrumental, and functional relationship to the nation. Since the nation-state is an instrument of the nation, the existence of such states pre-supposes the existence of nations. It is however possible, that a non-national state gradually becomes a nation-state, under influence of nationalist movements and ideology. The nation-state implements the usually implicit existence claim of every nation, which may be explicitly stated as a 'right to exist'. The nation-state implements the implicit permanence claim of each nation, by protecting it against disappearance (assimilation), and by facilitating and enforcing inter-generational transfer of culture. To implement the national permanence claim, the sovereignty claim of the nation-state is also permanent, specifically rejecting absorption by another state. (Absorption of state X by state Y, is typically assumed to result in assimilation of people X by people Y). The nation-state implements the explicit security claims of a nation, by protecting not just the state itself, but specifically the titular nation or people. Unlike non-national states, the nation-state is also intended to benefit the nation, allowing the nation to flourish while retaining its identity, culture and traditions. Although, strictly speaking, government makes policy, national cultural and educational policies are a typical and structural feature of nation-states. The nation-states have other characteristics, specific to that class of state, which are derived from its intended functions. Congruence of nation and state, in various aspects, is typical of nation-states. Typically but not necessarily, most members of the nation reside in the nation-state, the members form the majority of its population, the national culture is the dominant culture, and the national language the most-spoken language. An established nation-state restricts immigration, and occasionally emigration, to maintain this congruence between nation and territorial state. For the nation-state, mass immigration by non-nationals is functionally equivalent to loss of territory, but this can be countered by forced assimilation policies. The nation-state itself has no national language, national identity, or national culture, since these are attributes of a nation, not a state. Paul Treanor, September 2023 4 Functional definition of nation-states Similarly, linguistic homogeneity, cultural homogeneity, and ethnic homogeneity, are qualities of a nation, not a state. If a nation-state is inhabited only by a homogeneous nation, or indeed any homogeneous group, then its population is homogeneous as a result. In practice, the nation-state state typically attempts to enforce homogeneity, to conform to the national ideal. Linguistic, cultural, and ethnic homogeneity can extend across a border, if members of the nation live in neighbouring states. A nation-state can have a homogeneous population, yet fail to include the entire homogenous category. In other words, homogeneity is not synonymous with inclusion. A national language, a national identity, and a national culture, do not require prior homogeneity of the state's population, and may initially be confined to a minority of the population. Rather, it is typical that the nation-state enforces assimilation to these norms, which then results in homogeneity. Identity, which is by definition homogeneous, is a quality of the members of the nation, and not of the nation-state. As individuals, they 'share an identity', which means, both in theory and practice, that in some respects they resemble each other. The state is not an individual, and cannot 'share an identity' in this way. In fact, no state 'has an identity', but all can impose a collective identity on the population. Most nation-states do that. Nation-states typically have further attributes, such as a national flag, a national anthem, a national holiday, and less formally a national literature, a national sport, a national drink, even a national animal. The national character of these features is evident from the fact that they switch to another version, at the border with another nation-state, but they do not define the nation-state as a form of state. Paul Treanor, September 2023 5 Functional definition of nation-states A concise definition of a nation-state A nation-state is a state controlled by adherents of a nationalist movement, who use the state to implement the claims structurally inherent to a nation, namely claims to existence, selfreplication, permanence, self-determination, security, undiluted authenticity of language, culture and identity, and unrestricted expression of these authentic forms. It is not absolutely necessary that the majority of its population are members of the nation, or share its language, culture, and identity, or that the majority of the nation's members live inside the state's borders, but such congruences facilitate the structural goals of the nation-state. A state which is not a nation-state can become a nation-state, if its government and elites are committed to such a transition, and implement it by policy, including coercion where necessary. ... and a radical definition... A nation is a nationalist political movement, and a nation-state is a state controlled by nationalists, who use it to implement the political demands of the nation. Paul Treanor, September 2023 6