The descent of nations: social evolutionary theory, modernism and ethno‐symbolism

Abstract

This article explores the use of a revised conception of social evolutionary theory towards an understanding of nationalism. First, I review the debate between ethno‐symbolism and modernism, through the lens of the Warwick Debate between Gellner and Smith, arguing that both are partly right. Secondly, I outline what the revised conception of social evolution is looking first at its traditional conception before outlining a Darwinian view of social evolutionary theory. Finally, I examine how Darwinian social evolutionary theory can help fruitfully bring the ethno‐symbolic and modernist perspectives together. This is done by a sustained engagement primarily with the theories of Anthony Smith and Ernest Gellner pointing to how Darwinian social evolutionary theory can provide a link between the two theories that makes them mutually supportive rather than opposed.

Nasionalisme Dari Perspektif Founding Father (Sebuah Analisis Psiko-Hermeneutik)

“…Nasionalisme merupakan unsur penting untuk merawat sebuah negara-bangsa di tengah atmosfer kosmopolitan (Bayram, 2019). Sejumlah hal pokok masih menjadi perdebatan antarpeneliti, antara lain apakah nasionalisme berakar dari motivasi pragmatis indvidu atas kebermanfaatan dan keadilan ataukah motivasi yang mendalam rasa kepemilikan atas negaranya (Kelly, 2018), serta apakah nasionalisme merupakan fenomena modern seperti dalil Gallner ataukah fenomena yang terkait dengan masa lalu seperti dalil Smith (Kerr, 2019). Meskipun demikian, mayoritas peneliti bersepakat bahwa lahirnya nasionalisme di Indonesia berkaitan erat dengan perasaan senasib sepenanggungan (Carnegie, 2019), yang dibingkai dalam perjuangan bersama melawan kolonialisme Belanda (Aspinall, 2016;Zein, 2018).…”

“…Nasionalisme yang mengiringi proses negara-bangsa senantiasa mengalami transformasi dan perubahan (Kerr, 2019). Meskipun demikian, pada akhirnya fusi makna akan terkristalisasi juga.…”

Nations as Zones of Conflict, Nations as Zones of Selection: A Darwinian Social Evolutionary Engagement with John Hutchinson's ‘Culture Wars’

“…Within this ethno‐symbolism, Hutchinson's approach straddles the two perspectives in claiming that nations are (mostly) a modern phenomenon, but they have important antecedents from the past that inform and shape them (Smith ; ). Whilst modernism and ethno‐symbolism are usually pitted against one another – although Anthony Smith (:359) did see ethno‐symbolism as being more of a complement to modernism – the two perspectives can be brought together via Darwinian social evolution, as I have argued elsewhere (Kerr ).…”