Tag Archives: nation-building

03/7/13

Federalism, islamism and unitarism: Libyan identity and nation building at the crossroads

libya-provincesPessimism. Maybe of moderate intensity, but still pessimism. This is the feeling that I got a couple of weeks ago after attending a speech on Libya by political scientist Moncef Djaziri (Institute for Political and International Studies, University of Lausanne) at Barcelona’s European Institute of the Mediterranean (IEMed). My pessimism was not drawn from what he said about the Libyan national identity, but because prospects for women there seem to be rather complicated. Because some progress achieved during Gaddafi era in relation to women’s rights are being lost. And because Djaziri understands that the most likely scenario is “an Islamic state” for Libya, a scenario that is “continuously enhanced” given that Islamists “are very well organized”.

I would say that Djaziri is not much satisfied with that prospect. From what he said, it seems that he would prefer another hypothesis for Liby’as future, what he calls “the republican state”. According to him, “there is not much chance” for this possibility to see the light of day, even if it has some level of support in Tripolitania, the region that was Gaddafi’s centre of power. Vested with large powers, a president “who embodied national identity” could be one of new Libya’s most powerful symbols. But, the professor recalls, this is not what Islamists want. They rather prefer a parliamentary system, “more coherent” with their political preferences.

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04/26/12

Building a nation in a hurry or grafting identities? A difficult choice in today’s Macedonia

I had the opportunity to visit Skopje a couple of years ago, at the invitation of the Institute for the National History of Macedonia, during a conference organized by the NISE network. Being a meeting of experts in the field of nationalism, our hosts took time to show us and explain some of the most important milestones of the Macedonian nation in town and abroad: orthodox churches, Gotse Delchev, Aegean and Pirin Macedonia, Alexander the Great… all of them were explained to us in full detail (obviously from a Macedonian point of view: no Bulgarian or Greek connections mentioned!).

It was very clear to me that the process of nation building was still riding high, not only because of the common, persistent discourse on the specific character of the Macedonian people as a kind of fusion between ancient Macedonians and medieval Slavs, but also because of the building and sculpting fever that was going on in downtown Skopje in order to show to the world that this was the capital city of the Macedonian nation. Continue reading →

03/28/12

The Eritrean national identity: an untenable obsession with struggle, sacrifice and military?

Eritrea is back in the news since Ethiopian forces carried out earlier this month a military attack on rebel bases within the Eritrean boundaries. This has again been used by the media to remind people of the extremely harsh conditions undergone by political opponents and human rights activists in Eritrea, a country that got its independence in 1993 and has since been ruled by a dictatorial regime led by Isaias Afewerki, the long-standing leader of the former armed organization Eritrean People’s Liberation Front (EPLF) and current president of this African country. Afewerki belongs to the Biher-Tigrinya, the larger of nine ethnic groups officially recognized in Eritrea. Continue reading →

01/29/12

Cornwall, or the bid to build a nation in the 21st century

Plenty of work still to be done. Almost everything, to be more precise. But there is some hope, even if only because they are “fortunate to be able to paint their regional discontents in the attractive colours of Celtic tradition, which makes them so much more viable”, as Eric Hobsbawm wrote. Indomitable Cornish nationalists are seeking to get an elected assembly and devolved powers from Westminster. They have been trying since 2001, when the Cornish Constitutional Convention gathered some 50,000 signatures (i.e. 10% of Cornish residents) calling for a Cornish assembly. In 2009, LibDem MP Dan Rogerson introduced a bill aimed at giving Cornwall a level of self-government similar to that of Wales. No success again. Continue reading →

12/19/11

How a nation can be built for a century: the case of the Åland Islands

It was only a few weeks ago that the tiny Swedish-speaking archipelago of the Åland Islands held its 2011 legislative election. A handful of political parties contested the 30 seats of the Lagting, the local Parliament vested with a wide degree of autonomy within Finland. The party that got most of the seats (7 out of 30) was Centre of Åland, a party advocating a status of semi-independence for the islands. Another party, Future of Åland, got 3 seats and wants full independence from Finland. Anyway, although being a part of Finland, the only official language in the archipelago is Swedish and, according to its demilitarized status, its population has traditionally been free from conscription. Continue reading →