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Why do nations matter? The struggle for belonging and security in an uncertain world
Author(s) -
Skey Michael
Publication year - 2013
Publication title -
the british journal of sociology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.826
H-Index - 92
eISSN - 1468-4446
pISSN - 0007-1315
DOI - 10.1111/1468-4446.12007
Subject(s) - entitlement (fair division) , sociology , nationalism , ethnic group , identification (biology) , identity (music) , ontological security , allocative efficiency , everyday life , positive economics , social science , epistemology , political science , law , security studies , anthropology , politics , economics , philosophy , botany , physics , mathematical economics , acoustics , biology , neoclassical economics
This paper explores the reasons why national forms of identification and organization (might) matter in the contemporary era. In contrast to the majority of macro‐sociological work dealing with this topic, I develop an analytical framework that draws together recent research on everyday nationalism with micro‐sociological and psychological studies pointing to the importance of routine practices, institutional arrangements and symbolic systems in contributing to a relatively settled sense of identity, place and community. The second part of the paper focuses on the hierarchies of belonging that operate within a given national setting. Of particular interest is the largely taken‐for‐granted status of the ethnic majority and the degree to which it underpins claims to belonging and entitlement that are used to secure key allocative and authoritative resources.