Chris Phillibert: More and more nationalism (7)

While in this chapter Anderson speaks more to the rise of Nationalism in Africa and Asia after the first World War, there are certainly parallels to American nationalism that are applicable to American society. No matter if the country is the United States or any other nation, there are certain things that nationalism requires a citizen to do. Among these things are aligning yourself with the history of the nation and believing in your nation's place in history. This is very important to nations because if this is well established then nations can make claims to land, resources, and other things based on their perceived historical precedent. An example of this would be Hitler's taking of the Sudetenland from Czechoslovakia because there had been historically national Germans living there. Another thing that nationalism requires is subscribing to the symbols of your nation. Whether this is a flag, coat of arms, motto, or some combination of the aforementioned, these symbols are important to establishing your nation's national identity.

When I think about nationalism on an individual scale, I feel it equates to pride in your identity as a person. With the acting out of personal stories like we did in class, I feel as if that's a way of taking pride in your own history. We were told to tell a story represents us, which is similar to how the history of a nation defines or explains how they are and illustrate a representation of the country as a whole. I know that personally I loved telling my anecdote to Sarah and I feel as if memories from my childhood are a real part of my identity and have certainly formed me to who I am today. I know that this may sound materialistic, but I believe that national symbols transferred to an individual scale may equate to a person's possessions or the items they choose to surround themselves with. Any item that is constantly present in your life becomes a symbol and how you use it is can be a small representation of how you live life.

Overall I think nationalism is most intimately connected with identity. The identity you choose to construct for yourself is how you see yourself similar to how a nation chooses to represent itself is a reflection of its culture, customs, and ideology. I think applying large concepts to an individual basis is an important way to examine or observe things.