Matt Raimondo, Blog #7

Chapter 7 of Anderson's Imagined Communities jumps into nationalism, or more particularly how colonies under imperial rule exhibited strong nationalistic tendencies.  Anderson writes that the "'last waves' of nationalisms... was...a response to the new-style global imperialism", along with the spreading of industrialization as well (Anderson, 139).  In other words, countries and states began to exhibit stronger nationalistic tendencies in the face of spreading globalization and foreign interference; this sounds like a sort of collective defense mechanism.  Geographically, I believe that humans are generally inclined to preserve and protect his/her homeland, in both a historical and cultural sense.  For example, the constant conflict between the Israelis and Palestinians over both groups' ancient claims to the region has sparked conflict that continues to this day.  Humans do not like change, and threats to change one's homeland will inevitably create push-back, especially if the status quo is threatened.

This ties in well to Maya Lin's story with the Vietnam Memorial.  A few posts below my own have already touched upon this relationship, but I feel that this connection between defensive nationalism and Maya Lin's story cannot be overstated.  I personally felt that most of the resistance against Maya Lin's wall was rooted in the fact that she was Asian; I do not mean to force a racial issue, but we have to remember that the Civil Rights era occurred quite recently to the events surrounding the construction of the Vietnam Memorial.  Also, the idea that America's veterans played no role in the winning design also frustrated many people; it seemed to make many people feel as if it wasn't really an American memorial at all, but one that was alien and foreign.  Presently, I feel that the Vietnam Memorial is as much an American icon as the Lincoln or Washington Memorials, thereby making it difficult for me to conceptualize why people were so angry with Lin's design in the first place.  I remember recently that the MLK memorial was criticized by many because a Chinese artist had designed it, with some even voicing that the memorial looks like Mao Ze Dong, not MLK!  Personally, this incident creates some perspective for how some people felt the way they did about the Vietnam Memorial back in 1980.

I think that Maya Lin's story creates a sound example of the dangers that defensive nationalism can create among a population, especially when disguised as patriotism instead.