{"id":34445,"date":"2023-07-09T03:19:00","date_gmt":"2023-07-09T03:19:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.lifeandnews.com\/articles\/?p=34445"},"modified":"2023-07-10T07:39:43","modified_gmt":"2023-07-10T07:39:43","slug":"what-is-the-difference-between-nationalism-and-patriotism","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.lifeandnews.com\/articles\/what-is-the-difference-between-nationalism-and-patriotism\/","title":{"rendered":"What is the difference between nationalism and\u00a0patriotism?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Joshua Holzer<\/a>, Westminster College<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

During his presidency, Donald Trump said, \u201cWe\u2019re putting America first \u2026 we\u2019re taking care of ourselves for a change,\u201d and then declared, \u201cI\u2019m a nationalist<\/a>.\u201d In another speech<\/a>, he stated that under his watch, the U.S. had \u201cembrace[d] the doctrine of patriotism<\/a>.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Trump is now running for president again. When he announced his candidacy, he stated<\/a> that he \u201cneed[s] every patriot on board<\/a> because this is not just a campaign, this is a quest to save our country.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

One week later he dined in Mar-a-Lago with Nick Fuentes<\/a>, a self-described nationalist<\/a> who\u2019s been banned from Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, YouTube and other platforms for using racist and antisemitic language<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Afterward, Trump confirmed that meeting<\/a> but did not denounce Fuentes, despite calls for him to do so<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The words nationalism<\/a> and patriotism<\/a> are sometimes used as synonyms, such as when Trump and his supporters describe his America First<\/a> agenda. But many political scientists<\/a>, including me<\/a>, don\u2019t typically see those two terms as equivalent \u2013 or even compatible.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There is a difference, and it\u2019s important, not just to scholars but to regular citizens as well.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"A<\/a>
An image from 1950, colorized in 2017, shows Superman \u2013 a refugee from another planet and a character created by two Jewish immigrants to the U.S. \u2013 teaching that patriotism should drive out nationalism. DC Comics<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Devotion to a people<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

To understand what nationalism is, it\u2019s useful to understand what a nation is \u2013 and isn\u2019t.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A nation<\/a> is a group of people who share a history, culture, language, religion or some combination thereof.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A country<\/a>, which is sometimes called a state<\/a> in political science terminology, is an area<\/a> of land<\/a> that has its own government.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A nation-state is a homogeneous political entity<\/a> mostly comprising a single nation. Nation-states are rare<\/a>, because nearly every country is home to more than one national group. One example of a nation-state would be North Korea<\/a>, where almost all residents are ethnic Koreans.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The United States is neither a nation nor a nation-state. Rather, it is a country of many different groups of people<\/a> who have a variety of shared histories, cultures, languages and religions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Some of those groups are formally recognized<\/a> by the federal government, such as the Navajo Nation<\/a> and the Cherokee Nation<\/a>. Similarly, in Canada, the French-speaking Qu\u00e9b\u00e9cois<\/a> are recognized<\/a> as being a distinct \u201cnation within a united Canada<\/a>.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Nationalism is, per one dictionary definition, \u201cloyalty and devotion to a nation<\/a>.\u201d It is a person\u2019s strong affinity for those who share the same history, culture, language or religion. Scholars<\/a> understand nationalism as exclusive<\/a>, boosting one identity group over \u2013 and at times in direct opposition to \u2013 others.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Oath Keepers<\/a> and Proud Boys<\/a> \u2013 10 of whom<\/a> were convicted of seditious conspiracy for their role in the Jan. 6 attack<\/a> on the U.S. Capitol \u2013 are both examples of white nationalist<\/a> groups, which believe<\/a> that immigrants and people of color are a threat to their ideals of civilization.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Trump has described the events that took place on Jan. 6, 2021, as having occurred \u201cPeacefully & Patrioticly<\/a>\u201d. He has described those who have been imprisoned as \u201cgreat patriots<\/a>\u201d and has said that he would pardon<\/a> \u201ca large portion of them<\/a>\u201d if elected in 2024.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There are many other nationalisms beyond white nationalism. The Nation of Islam<\/a>, for instance, is an example of a Black nationalist<\/a> group. The Anti-Defamation League<\/a> and the Southern Poverty Law Center<\/a> have both characterized it as a Black supremacist hate group for its anti-white prejudices.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In addition to white and Black racial nationalisms<\/a>, there are also ethnic<\/a> and lingustic<\/a> nationalisms, which typically seek greater autonomy for \u2013 and the eventual independence of \u2013 certain national groups. Examples include the Bloc Qu\u00e9b\u00e9cois<\/a>, the Scottish Nationalist Party<\/a> and Plaid Cymru \u2013 the Party of Wales<\/a>, which are nationalist political parties that respectively advocate for the Qu\u00e9b\u00e9cois of Qu\u00e9b\u00e9c, the Scots of Scotland and the Welsh of Wales.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Devotion to a place<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

In contrast to nationalism\u2019s loyalty for or devotion to one\u2019s nation, patriotism is, per the same dictionary, \u201clove for or devotion to one\u2019s country<\/a>.\u201d It comes from the word patriot<\/a>, which itself can be traced back to the Greek word patrios<\/a>, which means \u201cof one\u2019s father.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In other words, patriotism has historically meant a love for and devotion to one\u2019s fatherland<\/a>, or country of origin.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Patriotism encompasses devotion to the country as a whole \u2013 including all the people who live within it. Nationalism refers to devotion to only one group of people over all others.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

An example of patriotism<\/a> would be Martin Luther King Jr.\u2018s \u201cI Have a Dream<\/a>\u201d speech, in which he<\/a> recites the first verse<\/a> of the patriotic song \u201cAmerica (My Country ‘Tis of Thee)<\/a>.\u201d In his \u201cLetter from Birmingham Jail<\/a>,\u201d King describes \u201cnationalist groups\u201d as being \u201cmade up of people who have lost faith in America<\/a>.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

George Orwell, the author of \u201cAnimal Farm<\/a>\u201d and \u201cNineteen Eighty-Four<\/a>,\u201d describes patriotism as \u201cdevotion to a particular place<\/a> and a particular way of life.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He contrasted that with nationalism, which he describes as \u201cthe habit of identifying oneself with a single nation or other unit, placing it beyond good and evil and recognizing no other duty than that of advancing its interests.\u201d https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/smEqnnklfYs?wmode=transparent&start=0 In his \u2018I Have a Dream\u2019 speech and other works, Martin Luther King Jr. decried nationalism and encouraged patriotism.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Nationalism vs. patriotism<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Adolf Hitler\u2019s rise in Germany was accomplished by perverting patriotism and embracing nationalism. According to Charles de Gaulle<\/a>, who led Free France<\/a> against Nazi Germany during World War II and later became president of France, \u201cPatriotism is when love of your own people comes first; nationalism, when hate for people other than your own comes first<\/a>.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The tragedy of the Holocaust<\/a> was rooted in the nationalistic belief that certain groups of people were inferior. While Hitler is a particularly extreme example<\/a>, in my own research as a human rights scholar<\/a>, I have found<\/a> that even in contemporary times, countries with nationalist leaders are more likely to have bad human rights records.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

After World War II, President Harry Truman signed the Marshall Plan<\/a>, which would provide postwar aid to Europe. The intent of the program was to help European countries \u201cbreak away from the self-defeating actions of narrow nationalism<\/a>.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For Truman, putting America first<\/a> did not mean exiting the global stage<\/a> and sowing division at home with nationalist actions and rhetoric<\/a>. Rather, he viewed the \u201cprincipal concern of the people of the United States\u201d to be \u201cthe creation of conditions of enduring peace throughout the world.\u201d For him, patriotically putting the interests of his country first<\/a> meant fighting against nationalism.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This view is in line with that of French President Emmanuel Macron<\/a>, who has stated that \u201cpatriotism is the exact opposite of nationalism<\/a>.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cNationalism,\u201d he says, \u201cis a betrayal of patriotism<\/a>.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Joshua Holzer<\/a>, Assistant Professor of Political Science, Westminster College<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

This article is republished from The Conversation<\/a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Joshua Holzer, Westminster College During his presidency, Donald Trump said, \u201cWe\u2019re putting America first \u2026 we\u2019re taking care of ourselves for a change,\u201d and then declared, \u201cI\u2019m a nationalist.\u201d In another speech, he stated that under his watch, the U.S. had \u201cembrace[d] the doctrine of patriotism.\u201d Trump is now running for president again. When he […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":44,"featured_media":34446,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[4],"tags":[14368,1603,1354,14367,479,2229,3738,4442,260,14369,1673,2923,5098,683],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lifeandnews.com\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/34445"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lifeandnews.com\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lifeandnews.com\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lifeandnews.com\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/44"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lifeandnews.com\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=34445"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.lifeandnews.com\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/34445\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":34448,"href":"https:\/\/www.lifeandnews.com\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/34445\/revisions\/34448"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lifeandnews.com\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/34446"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lifeandnews.com\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=34445"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lifeandnews.com\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=34445"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lifeandnews.com\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=34445"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}