When is a nation not a nation? the formation of the modern Czech nation

Agnew, Hugh LeCaine

doi:10.1016/0191-6599(92)90092-q

Cited by 2 publications

(1 citation statement)

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“…A priest of peasant origin, he preached in the Czech language, translated some of Wycliffe's writings into Czech, articulated Czech national aspirations, and fought against the abuses of the Catholic Church. He did not advocate the creation of an independent Czech state – it was too early for such an agenda – but he did stress national consciousness as independent of loyalty to the monarch, and he believed in a special mission granted to a linguistic community (see Agnew 1992). His folk‐based proto‐nationalism contrasted sharply with the collective identity of the upper class in Bohemia and Moravia, which was defined in terms of a territorially and politically based Landespatriotismus and expressed itself in German.…”

Section: The Religious Element In Ethnonational Language Constructionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Language, ethnicity and religion: a complex and persistent linkage

Safran

2008

Nations and Nationalism

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Among the markers of ethnonational identity, language and religion have figured with equal prominence. In many cases, religion has been the bedrock of nation-building; and even today, it is difficult to separate a number of national identities from their religious matrices. Religious identity is based on, and perpetuated in, narratives expressed in a specific language. Language and religion are related; in our secular age, however, that relationship is no longer consistent. The two may feed upon one another; language may substitute for religion; or religion may trump language. This article explores the varying relationships between language and religion.Neither religion nor language is coextensive with an ethnonation. A religion and a language may spread over more than one ethnic group; conversely, members of an ethnic group may adhere to more than one religion or contain more than one language community. Yet among the markers of ethnonational identity, language and religion have been of equal importance. They are not merely used to instrumentalise more 'rational' demands; they are not always the determining factors in ethnic behavior and ethnic political demands; and not all communities based on a religion or a particular language wish to attain 'nationhood'. Nevertheless, the nexus between religion and language is important enough not to be dismissed.Language and religion are related; both have deep structures and both are regarded as constitutive aspects of 'primordialism' in the sense that individuals are born into one, the other, or (in most instances) both. The relationships between religion and language have varied with time and place, and the causal direction between the two has been complex. Religion and language may be clearly associated and feed upon each other; language may be a substitute for religion; or religion may trump language.Historically, religions have preceded the nation-state; have served as the basis of the collective consciousness of the nation and the foundation of sovereignty; and have been major institutional supports of the state. Examples are numerous and are not confined to 'established' religions. Religious identity is based on, and perpetuated in, narratives expressed in a specific language. The Old Testament served as the depository of Jewish nationhood

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Section: The Religious Element In Ethnonational Language Constructionmentioning

confidence: 99%