THE EMERGENCE OF NATIONALISM AND THE INVENTION OF TRADITIONS IN EUROPE
This paper deals with the emergence of nationalism in Europe and the process of inventing traditions as a fundamental mechanism in the formation of modern nations and national identities. The 19th century is defined as the “age of nationalism,” during which large empires disintegrated and new states were created, accompanied by the consolidation of national consciousness. The theoretical framework of the paper includes modernist and ethnocultural approaches by Ernest Gellner, Benedict Anderson, Anthony Smith, and Eric Hobsbawm. The concepts of the nation as an “imagined community” and nationalism as a consciously constructed political-cultural phenomenon are specifically analyzed. The paper points to the importance of institutions such as school, the military, and mass media in the process of nationalization, as well as the role of 13 myths, symbols, and “invented traditions” in legitimizing national ideologies. It is emphasized that invented tradition has become a means of social integration and political mobilization, enabling the creation of a sense of historical continuity and common identity. Nationalism is viewed as a historically and culturally dynamic process that, despite modern transformations, remains one of the key drivers of socio-political change in the contemporary world.
ruski
2025
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nationalism, nation, invented tradition, identity, modernization, Hobsbawm, Anderson