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National Identity and Consciousness in Everyday Life: Towards a Sociology of Knowledge of Greek‐Cypriot Nationalism
Author(s) -
Mavratsas Caesar V.
Publication year - 1999
Publication title -
nations and nationalism
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.655
H-Index - 44
eISSN - 1469-8129
pISSN - 1354-5078
DOI - 10.1111/j.1354-5078.1999.00091.x
Subject(s) - nationalism , ideology , sociology , ambivalence , turkish , polity , identity (music) , consciousness , gender studies , legitimation , politics , social science , aesthetics , political science , epistemology , social psychology , law , psychology , philosophy , linguistics
. The concomitants of nationalism and ethnic separation upon Greek‐Cypriot consciousness are examined from the perspective of the sociology of knowledge and phenomenological analysis. The focus is upon the perception of Self and the social construction of Greek‐Cypriot identity. The issue is examined in light of the ideological contest between Greek nationalism and Cypriotism. Whereas Greek nationalism sets the parameters of ideological orthodoxy and is the dominant force on the level of political consciousness, Cypriotism predominates on the level of everyday consciousness. One key consequence of the ideological class between Greek‐Cypriot nationalism and Cypriotism is a structural ambivalence that characterises Greek‐Cypriot perceptions of Self and Other. This ambivalence has been one of the main obstacles to the legitimation of an independent Cypriot polity and continues to impede the functional coexistence of the Greek‐Cypriot and Turkish‐Cypriot people on the island.