Group Portrait of Nationalism

"People are divided into two groups - the persecuted and the persecutors. That hungry animal that lives in man and doesn't dare appear until all obstacles created by good customs and the law are removed, has now been liberated."

Ivo Andric

"Every nationalist movement starts, and is heralded by manifestations and actions which aim at awakening memories of 'our' dead, injustices and crimes which have been committed against 'us', and so of reviving memories of others' evil and bringing it back from the mists of time to broad daylight and persuading us that nothing has happened since 'our' former suffering and the present moment, except 'our' unjustified and unjust oblivion. Once the circle of hatred has been embarked on, it never ends and history turns into rhythmical, spasmodic outbursts of unrestrained hatred among those who heal wounds and carefully nurture memories."

This is an excerpt from Dusan Kecmanovic's book "The Mass Psychology of Nationalism" which concludes that nationalism is never the goal, but the instrument in achieving a goal, and it shows that nationalism can survive the nation itself - only under a different name.

Kecmanovic cites Berlin who wrote in 1993 that "Nationalism is a pathological aspect of self-defensive resistance."

To paraphrase that part of the book which analyses ways in which nationalists justify their stands: they regard the members of another nationality as the sole guilty party for the evil fate which has, as they say affected them.

"When one reads nationalist programs and manifestos, and listens to nationalist speeches, it all seems so easy. The world's mysterious color is reduced to a very simple equation", said Kecmanovic, showing that everything is aligned into two sides, into two big groups - who isn't with "us" is against "us"; in the nationalist dichotomy of the world, there are no neutral, innocent, non-aligned, uncommitted, moderate options. (...)

The need for idea-ideological rigidity can be understood as the nationalists' defence from indecision, occasional doubts as regards the justification of such exclusiveness, and probably serves to maintain monolithic unity in nationalist ranks. It prevents all watering down of nationalist, ethno-nationalist biases, and thus ensures the critical mass of like-minded individuals required for carrying out planned projects.

Every nationalist movement urges the necessity of demarcation and fixing of boundaries: "Land, forests, rivers, fields, river banks, lakes, cities, quarters... must be divided. Property, the past, cultural goods, adults and children, schools and factory drives must be divided. If it is necessary to draw a demarcation line between friends, spouses, lovers and people, and if such an undertaking often results in pain and intimate suffering, the mute suffering of people, the nationalists do not consider themselves to blame."

"The borders should be well marked so that all can see them, at all times, should they wander into 'our' parts or just hear about them. That is why it is necessary to change the names of cities, institutions, invent new anthems, coats-of-arms and uniforms and introduce new forms of greeting, new holidays, new decorations. All this must be done in accordance with 'our' national being, with 'our' national past, with ancient habits and customs which are only 'ours'. Otherwise, all these demarcations and changes would be pointless."

"Nationalist messages are directed towards the heart and not the intelligence of the listeners... This is why propaganda which is supposed to increase the people's readiness to accept nationalism, is directed primarily at their feelings: the press, radio and television broadcast selected news items and show pictures which present people of other nationalities in a very detrimental light and one's own compatriots as human and just beings. Nationalist stands and beliefs prepare the ground for war and sooner or later lead to war; on the other hand, ethnic-nationalist biases spread faster and more easily in war, simply because all wars between (ethnic)nationalist groups are followed by human losses which awaken very strong emotions among the victims and their compatriots, friends and acquaintances.

"Nationalism is a miraculous time-machine in which it is difficult to differentiate between figures of the past and the present, because they resemble each other very much", said Kecmanovic. National books, national foods, national songs, the soldiers' parade uniforms, generals' uniforms, hair styles etc. leave the Ethnographic Museum and take up residence in front of presidential residences, they can be found in the army headquarters, on the streets. The nationalists are highly xenophobic. All accepting of customs, views, and characteristics which do not have an indigenous, originally national character and come close to international standards, result in suspicion and public condemnation because they are looked on as polluters of the authentic national expression.

Nationalists are also obsessed with the biological aspect on the one hand, because of links between nationalism and nature as the source and embodiment of health, and on the other hand, because of the links between health and war which is the constituent, inevitable part of every nationalist program and practice. Force, strength and power link nature, health and war. "It is of great importance for the human species that only the strongest survive and multiply (social Darwinism), because spiritual health is tempered and strengthened in battle and thus healthy fighting instincts are satisfied. One aspect of the biological interpretation of the natural and the biological can be found in the great attention which nationalists devote to the demographic policy - not in order to ensure a harmonious economic development, i.e. an adequately large increase of the population, but solely because they believe that the strength of a nation lies in its numerousness..."

"Nationalists believe that they are the only ones who know the real situation of the national group, from where danger threatens and who and how is endangering the group. On the other hand, by spreading the belief that 'we' are better, more intelligent, taller, more courageous, more honest, more just and freedom-loving than people belonging to other nationalities, all this is supposed to justify 'our' (economic, territorial etc) claims against another nation and its land, the violation of their rights and interests, and at the same time raise the fighting morale of 'our' compatriots."

By calling on natural, historical rights, the right to self-determination and many other rights, nationalist movements, or rather, their leaders do not stop claiming that that which they consider to be right for them, is in fact right. If many people of other nationalities do not share their views, nationalists will quote history, which, they say, puts everything in its place - which is true, and show that they are right - which isn't true.