Nation_Building

Southeast Asia Reading Seminar Professor Eric Jones Tuesday, October 13, 2009 Michelle Mason The Meaning of Nation for Citizens through Language The concept and purpose of a nation has been pondered by philosophers, historians, sociologists, as well as anthropologists for centuries. Can there truly be a nation' How is a nation controlled' What are the political boundaries of a nation' These are questions that all academics in these various fields and other fields have tried to answer. In his work, Imagined Communities: Reflections on the Origin and Spread of Nationalism, Benedict Anderson attempts to answer these questions regarding the plight of a nation, and the impact that nationalism has had on the psyche of humans. He pays particular interest to the ideology of the "emotional legitimacy" humans have given to the creation and mechanisms of a nation.1 Whether it be through language, religion, or monuments, nations utilize these devices to organize and mobilize the citizens of the nation. In the case of language, Anderson bases most his argument of nationhood on this element of culture, which spans a great scope and breadth of subject matters. Why monarchies rose and why monarchies declined; why the Creole population of Latin America rebelled against European power; to, why racism was created through varying levels of class; according to Anderson, all centers around language and terminology. Is this a simplistic view to be able to meander through numerous loosely tied associations, or a truly astute view of the power language has over humankind' At first, one might agree with the former, due to the divergent tangents Anderson finds within all forms of the nation-state, but upon closer appraisal, Anderson has taken the tool of language, which over time has served to generate and erode commands of nations. Throughout this work, Anderson points to the movement of Enlightenment in Europe as a great catalyst to the movement of the nation. Language was the tool of Enlightenment thinkers to reach the masses through the employment of the printed word, which was made widely available during this time. Common vernacular in printed and everyday affairs not only flourished, but analysis of foreign languages like Sanskrit permitted scholars to document the aptitude of highly complex Eastern cilivaiztions.2 Language become a marker for importance and relevance during the era of the development of nations. The dominance languages wielded not only in the creation of nations, but through religious control of sacred text, ultimately lead to the racism and class-ism within the nation. A government could artificial divide its people due to race, religion, or economic status. But as Anderson argues, all of these classifications are ultimately linked to the language of the nation and the power the language had over the masses. The legitimacy of these words and the emotions, positive or negative, were bestowed merit by the conviction authorities placed with their practices and placement of these words in public arenas. Through control of racists and separating words, nations fueled the divisions of its people. Power through language has been documented in historical works throughout time; Anderson takes this insight and keenly applies to the birth of the ideology of nations. Communication of the ideas of nations was the great force behind the decline of antiquated governmental relics and the diaspora of potential democratic nations. Language was the decisive agent in nation building; religious, racist, or radical. ----------------------- 1.) Anderson, Benedict, Imagined Communities: Reflections on the Origin and Spread of Nationalism., pg. 4, (2006) Verso. 2.) Anderson, Imagined Communities., pg. 70.