Banal Nationalism
Tuesday 19 September
Today I learned about the myriad of ways our nationalism is reinforced, often without us even being aware of it. First noted and named by Michael Billig: Banal Nationalism.
Michael Billig, Banal Nationalism (Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage, 1995).
For convenience, I’m going to copy most of the Wikipedia article and two Amazon comments below. (It is tempting to start reading the book right away, but that would distract too much from what I’m currently reading.)
Banal nationalism refers to everyday representations of a nation, which build a sense of shared national identity.[1]
The term is derived from English academic, Michael Billig's 1995 book of the same name and is intended to be understood critically. Billig's book has been described as 'the fourth most cited work on nationalism ever published'.[2] Billig devised the concept of 'banal nationalism' to highlight the routine and often unnoticed ways that established nation-states are reproduced from day to day.[3]
The concept has been highly influential, particularly within the discipline of political geography, with continued academic interest since the book's publication in 1995.[4] Today the term is used primarily in academic discussion of identity formation, geopolitics, and the nature of nationalism in contemporary political culture.[5]
Examples of banal nationalism include the use of flags in everyday contexts, sporting events, national songs, symbols on money,[6] popular expressions and turns of phrase, patriotic clubs, the use of implied togetherness in the national press, for example, the use of terms such as the prime minister, the weather, our team, and divisions into "domestic" and "international" news. Many of these symbols are most effective because of their constant repetition, and almost subliminal nature. Banal nationalism is often created via state institutions such as schools.[7]
It can contribute to bottom-up processes of nation-building.[8]
Michael Billig's primary purpose in coining the term was to clearly differentiate everyday, endemic nationalism from extremist variants. He argued that the academic and journalistic focus on extreme nationalists, independence movements, and xenophobes in the 1980s and 1990s obscured the strength of contemporary nationalism, by implying that nationalism was a fringe ideology rather than a dominant theme in contemporary political culture.[4][5]
Billig noted the almost unspoken assumption of the utmost importance of the nation in political discourse of the time, for example in the calls to protect Kuwait during the Gulf War, or to take action in the U.S. after the September 11 attacks. He argues that the "hidden" nature of modern nationalism makes it a very powerful ideology, partially because it remains largely unexamined and unchallenged, yet remains the basis for powerful political movements, and most political violence in the world today.
Banal nationalism should not be thought of as a weak form of nationalism, but the basis for "dangerous nationalisms".[9]
However, in earlier times, calls to the "nation" were not as important, when religion, monarchy or family might have been invoked more successfully to mobilize action. He also uses the concept to dispute post-modernist claims that the nation-state is in decline, noting particularly the continued hegemonic power of American nationalism.
- Michel Billig, Banal Nationalism. 1995, London: Sage, p. 6.
- Michael Skey and Marco Antonsich, Everyday Nationhood: theorising culture, identity and belonging after Banal Nationalism. 2017, London: Palgrave Macmillan, p. 1.
- Michel Billig, Banal Nationalism. 1995, London: Sage, p. 6.
- Koch, Nathalie; Anssi Paasi (September 2016). "Banal Nationalism 20 years on: Re-thinking, re-formulating and re-contextualizing the concept". Political Geography. 54: 1–6. doi:10.1016/j.polgeo.2016.06.002.
- Sophie Duchesne, 'Who's afraid of Banal Nationalism', Nations and Nationalism, 2018, 24, pp. 841-856.
- Penrose, Jan (November 2011). "Designing the nation. Banknotes, banal nationalism and alternative conceptions of the state". Political Geography. 30 (8): 429–440. doi:10.1016/j.polgeo.2011.09.007.
- Piller, Ingrid (12 May 2017). "The banal nationalism of intercultural communication advice". Archived from the original on 12 May 2017.
- Mylonas, Harris; Tudor, Maya (11 May 2021). "Nationalism: What We Know and What We Still Need to Know". Annual Review of Political Science. 24 (1): 109–132. doi:10.1146/annurev-polisci-041719-101841. Retrieved 27 September 2021. Wade, Lisa (4 July 2014). "Banal Nationalism". Sociological Images. Retrieved 16 October 2019.
In contrast to the oft-mentioned "hot" nationalisms which seem to plague far-off or obscure places like the Balkans, the Caucuses, etc., Billig introduces the concept of "banal" nationalism to refer to nationalism and the way this form of identity politics is reinforced in stable, affluent and apparently "anational" societies, such as Great Britain or the United States.
This is not a consideration of fringe groups, but of societies as a whole. Billig conducts an exemplary analysis into how identification with one's nation or country is reinforced on a daily basis in the most subtle and unnoticeable (and thus banal) manner: the weather maps in newspapers or on television which show one's country highlighted in a different color, currency or postage stamp containing patriotic motifs, pledging allegiance to the flag every morning by school children, etc. Billig's point is that this everyday, almost unconscious intake of psychologically loaded signs, symbols and signals can be one factor in explaining how easily people come to adopt irrational openly "patriotic" ways of thinking in times of crisis, whether real or perceived (as anyone who lived in the U.S. during the Gulf War can attest to).
There is also a good critique of the dichotomy created between "civic" and "ethnic" nationalism, in that those who insist on this dichotomy usually tend to view the former as "good" while the latter is definitely "bad." Billig points out that both have the potential to become dangerously irrational. (Comment by Edward Bosnar)
While I love the ideas and observations presented by Billig, he didn't seem to be putting too much thought into those who would be reading his book. I kept getting the impression that he had about 50 pages worth of content, but was required to write 150 pages in order to please his publisher. The bulk of the book is repeating the same things over again in different words and it is written in very dry language. He also seems to tell things in the wrong order. He'll go on and on about a conclusion he has, but wait several chapters before he actually tells you the reasoning he used to reach that conclusion.
Despite all that, he has a message worth hearing, and at least considering. He describes how nationalism is not something that exists only in extreme circumstances, but how it's a part of everyday life that citizens take for granted. Well worth a read. Or at least a skim. (Comment by layla)