Michael Billig – Banal nationalism

The book Banal Nationalism, written by Michael Billig, is the next area of our interest in the subject of
Critical Discourse Theory, namely the first three chapters of this book, which otherwise contains the
following chapters: Nations and Languages, Remembering Banal Nationalism, National Identity in the
World of Nations, Flagging the Homeland Daily, Postmodernity and Identity, Philosophy as a Flag for the
Pax Americana, Concluding Remarks. This book has also been translated into Serbian and the author has
written a preface to the Serbian edition. In this book, Michael Billig presents a great challenge to
Orthodox conceptions of nationalism. Although traditional theorizing has mainly focused on extreme
expressions of nationalism, the author draws attention to everyday, less visible forms that are neither
exotic nor remote, he describes as "banal nationalism“(Levačić, 2009).

Reading the original text and then the essay of my colleague Virant, I come to the conclusion that my
colleague very clearly, concisely, substantively and transparently explained Billing's theory of nationalism,
quoting the most important paragraphs from the text, and thus better and more easily brought us closer
to this theory and overall explanation and vision nationalism being labeled in the media through routine
symbols and language habits.

The first chapter of Banal Nationalism (Nations and Languages) is intended for readers unfamiliar with
topics such as nationalism, the genesis of nations in the past, and the links between nation, language and
territory. . It firmly takes and argues the view that nations - states are a modern phenomenon conceived
by the principle of hegemony of one part of the territory and one dialect over the rest (Levačić, 2009). It
analyzes nationality labels such as flags, anthems, borders, cultural and linguistic differences (Trolio,
1999). In his essay, colleague Virant cites many writers in order to give us as easily as possible the Billing
theory itself, which focuses on the assumption that nationalism is the result of modernity and
inseparable. What is being said here is that the nation is a community, that it is a group of people who
imagine themselves as interconnected, as objects of special awareness and loyalty, for something in
common. The nation as such is something more than kind, but slightly less than organization. Just
because individuals share certain characteristics or practices, such as skin or tongue colors, can group
them. However, until they confirm that they share as a mutual concern and loyalty, these individuals do
not form a community (Yack, 2010).

In Chapter 2 (Awareness of Banal Nationalism), the author presents the theory of banal nationalism, that
is, his main thesis - in the "developed" Western world nationalism is by no means a thing of the past, but
a very present ideology necessary to reproduce the same "developed" world. Nationalism should also be
made clear from the relationship of a relatively old form of community, nation, and a relatively new and
extremely powerful form of organization called the modern state (Levačić, 2009). While the term
"nationalism" is applied to exotic, rare and dangerous specimens, a suitable term to describe what is for
Billig the most powerful form of nationalism in the modern world - a set of ideological habits that
reproduces established nations as nations - does not exist. This is why the author introduces the term
"banal nationalism". It is the existing ideological foundation of modern, settled nations, which acts in
such a way that "in many small ways, citizenship day by day resembles their national place in the world of
nations" (Levačić, 2009).
As the most interesting part of this research, I would single out one that speaks of the typical symbol of
nationalism, which is the flag, which reflects the character of the nation and is appreciated by the
citizens. The national flag evokes emotions in many people, just like singing a national anthem or national
currency. Waving the flag, along with other everyday representations of the state, is only part of the
routines that shape and influence the world around us and are embedded in our subconscious. It is
important to say that these symbols do not carry the message by themselves, but it is important when it
is set for special occasions, important events in the country. However, most of the national flags that a
citizen sees throughout his or her life do not constitute a special message (Billing, 1995). Also, the
situation is similar with coins and banknotes that usually bear national signs that are largely unnoticed
during day-to-day financial transactions.

References and literature:

1. Billig, M. 1995. Banal nationalism. London: Sage

2. Levačić, D. 2009. Banalni nacionalizam. Biblioteka XX Vek, Beograd. 212-214. Available at:
file:///C:/Users/Asus/Downloads/14_MICHAEL_BILLIG_BANALNI_NACIONALIZAM%20(3).pdf
3. Troilo's review. 1999. [Book review online]. Available at:
http://www.librarything.com/work/1502263/reviews/101399885
4. Yack, B. 2012. Nationalism and the moral psychology of community. University of Chicago press.
Available at: http://brown.edu/Research/ppw/yackchap2.doc

MILENA STANKOVIĆ

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