Basic Concepts of Nationalism and Patriotism

Nationalism is a way of thinking that says that some groups of humans, such as ethnic
groups, should be free to rule themselves. Nationalists think that the best way to make this happen and
avoid control or oppression by others is for each group to have their own nation. Patriotism means loyalty
of person to his/her own nation or the leaders of nation. A patriot is a person who is on the side of his/her
own nation or its leaders. Along with love, patriotism is the feeling of pride, devotion, and attachment to a
homeland, as well as a feeling of attachment to other patriotic citizens. The feelings of attachment may be
further bound up in factors like race or ethnicity, culture, religious beliefs, or history.

Types of Nationalism
In general, there are five main types of nationalism.

These are civic nationalism, cultural nationalism, ethnic nationalism, religious nationalism and racial
nationalism. Each of these types of nationalism has their own positives and negatives, which are often
subjective to the individual’s/group’s identity, such as their culture, ethnicity, race and religion, some are
naturally more “inclusive” than others and some are more common than others.

Civic nationalism: This form of nationalism is based on the idea that strict adherence to the legal system
of a given nation for a certain period of time will make an individual a member of that nation, that is to
say, the nation is defined by adherence to its laws and rules and behaving in a moral and ethical manner
according to those rules. It is the most inclusive form of nationalism. Examples of countries which adhere
to civic nationalism are the United States and Russia. It is perhaps the most common form of nationalism.
The obvious positives of this form of nationalism are that anyone can become a citizen of a nation which
practices civic nationalism, as such, civic nationalist countries such as the US thrive on high-skilled and
medium-skilled immigration, as people all around the globe are enticed to emigrate to the country and to
work hard to achieve their dreams, which in turn exponentially benefits the nation’s economy. However,
the obvious negatives of this form of nationalism are the multicultural and multiracial connotations,
which undeniably cause conflict and problems with social cohesion, additionally, civic nationalism would
eventually result in the dilution of the nation’s original culture or ethnic group, as people from a wide
variety of religions, cultures, races, and ethnicities would migrate to these nations and eventually either
form a plurality of the population or even the majority.

Cultural nationalism: This form of nationalism is based on the idea that having a shared culture, either by
assimilating into it or being born into it is the prerequisite for citizenship and thus national belonging. The
nation is defined by culture, as such, culturally nationalist countries tend to be culturally homogeneous. It
is probably the 2nd most common form of nationalism and definitely the 3rd most inclusive. It is very
difficult to differentiate between countries which de facto adhere to cultural nationalism and countries
which de jure adhere to cultural nationalism, however, it can be said that countries such as China adhere
to cultural nationalism. There are many positives to cultural nationalism, the most obvious is that cultural
nationalism can unite a multiracial nation by breaking down cultural barriers between the races thereby
reducing the differences between these groups and uniting them under one flag, government, and nation.
The obvious negatives are that cultural nationalism does not always successfully unify the nation,
countries such as the Roman Empire embraced cultural nationalism and yet that did not prevent it from
being shattered by separatism. Another negative is that, although cultural nationalism does preserve the
culture of a given ethnic group, it fails to protect the unique ancestry of that ethnic group, as such, much
like civic nationalism, cultural nationalism eventually results in the dilution of the nation’s original ethnic
group, due to a large-scale change in that group’s heritage and ancestry.

Ethnic nationalism: This form of nationalism is based on the idea that being of the same or similar ethnic
group is the prerequisite for citizenship and national belonging. The nation is defined by ethnicity, as
such, ethnic nationalist countries tend to be ethnically, culturally and racially homogeneous. Ethnic
nationalism is most definitely 5th most inclusive form of nationalism and the 3rd least common form of
nationalism. No countries in the world, to my knowledge, are completely ethnically nationalist, however,
countries such as Israel, Saudi Arabia and Japan have certain laws which can be regarded as ethnic
nationalist in their nature. The obvious positive of ethnic nationalism is that it allows for the complete
preservation of the ethnicity, as such, ethnic nationalism is the only type of nationalism which leads to the
complete preservation of a people. There really is no objective negatives of ethnic nationalism, however,
it cannot be denied that ethnic nationalism excludes many people from immigrating into and from
becoming citizens of an ethnic nationalist country.

Racial nationalism: This form of nationalism is based on the idea that belonging to the same racial or sub-
racial group is the prerequisite for citizenship and national belonging. The nation is defined by the race or
sub-race, as such, racial nationalist countries tend to be racially homogenous, although this certainly does
not imply cultural or ethnic homogeneity, White Nationalists such as Richard Spender, who are really
racial nationalists, not ethnic nationalists (“White” or “European” isn’t an ethnicity) would have no issues
with a multicultural, multi-ethnic and multireligious Pan-European ethnostate, provided that all the
ethnicities within that state were “European”. Racial nationalism is definitely the 4th least inclusive form
of nationalism and the 2nd least common form of nationalism. An example of a completely racial
nationalist state would be Liberia, as only individuals who are “Negroes” or of “Negro descent” can
become citizens. A positive of racial nationalism is that all the members of a racial nationalist country are,
theoretically, biologically linked to a degree, which provides for reduced tensions and greater social
cohesion, however, the multiculturalism and multi-religiousness of such a state would still bring about
problems. A negative of racial nationalism is that its foundations are extremely shaky, in the example of a
Pan-European ethnostate, the idea that all the myriad European ethnicities would feel “kinship” towards
each other on the basis of loose and distant biological ties is very ignorant and definitely not scrupulous.

Religious nationalism: This form of nationalism is based on the idea that belonging to the same religion is
the prerequisite for citizenship and national belonging. The nation is defined by the religion, as such,
religious nationalist countries would be very religiously homogeneous, but not racially, ethnically, or
culturally homogenous. Religious nationalism is the 3rd most inclusive form of nationalism, and the least
popular form of nationalism. An example of a religious nationalist country would be the Vatican City,
which only grants citizenship to the Cardinals which reside in the Vatican or in Rome, the Holy see’s
diplomats, and people who reside in the Vatican due to their office or service, such as the Swiss Guard.
The requirements for all of these things is to be a Catholic, which by extension means that only Catholics
can become citizens of the Vatican. A positive of religious nationalism is that, by introducing religious
homogeneity, it decreases social tensions in regards to differing religions. A negative of religious
nationalism is that it seeks to unite all members of a religious group, regardless of any other demographic
factors, which would most definitely cause tension and issues with social cohesion.

Patriotism
Think about the different groups that you are proud to be a part of. You might be proud to be a
student at your school. You might be proud to be on a team. You might be proud to be a member of your
family. Are you also proud to be a citizen of the Philippines? If so, this is a display of patriotism. Loving
and appreciating your country is a very patriotic attitude.

Not only is patriotism about feeling pride in your country, it is about taking that pride a step further and
putting it into action. A patriotic person sees their status as a Filipino citizen as a great honor, but that
honor comes with responsibility. Therefore, patriotic people think about how their choices will reflect on
their country. Think about it in the context of a family. Let's say that you tell a lie. Not only will this
choice bring shame to you, it will make your family look bad as well. Patriotic people make choices that
will make their country look good.
Difference Between Patriotism and Nationalism
Patriotism is different from nationalism. While the words patriotism and nationalism
were once considered synonyms, they have taken on different connotations. While both are the feelings of
love people feel for their country, the values upon which those feelings are based are very different.
Feelings of patriotism are based on the positive values the country embraces—like freedom, justice, and
equality. The patriot believes that both the system of government and the people of their country are
inherently good and work together for a better quality of life.

In contrast, feelings of nationalism are based on a belief that one’s country is superior to all
others. It also carries a connotation of distrust or disapproval of other countries, leading to the assumption
that other countries are rivals. While patriots do not automatically denigrate other countries, nationalists
do, sometimes to the point of calling for their country’s global dominance. Nationalism, through its
protectionist beliefs, is the polar opposite of globalism.