Citation

Whitmeyer JM. Br. J. Sociol. 2002; 53(3): 321-341.

Affiliation

Department of Sociology, University of North Carolina--Charlotte, USA.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2002, London School of Economics and Political Science, Publisher John Wiley and Sons)

DOI

10.1080/0007131022000000536

PMID

12227838

Abstract

Much current theory concerning nationalism holds that elites commonly create or cause popular nationalism. In part, that thesis may be due to an overwhelming emphasis in research on nationalism on positive cases: cases where nationalism has appeared, ignoring cases where it has not. In this article, I challenge the thesis by showing numerous historical cases in which elites have promoted nationalisms that ordinary people have not adopted, or in which ordinary people have adopted a nationalism before it was taken up by elites. Even if elites do not create popular nationalism, however, they can and do shape its expression in a variety of ways, such as organizing it, providing relevant information, or providing opportunity or incentive for it. I show this through historical examples.

Language: en