Symbols of Defeat in the Construction of National Identity

308 Pages·2011·1.107 MB·English

by  Steven Mock

SymbolsofDefeatintheConstructionofNationalIdentity
If nationalism is the assertion of legitimacy for a nation and its effec-
tiveness as a political entity, why do many nations emphasize images
oftheirowndefeatinunderstandingtheirhistory?UsingIsrael,Serbia,
France, Greece, and Ghana as examples, the author argues that this
phenomenon exposes the ambivalence that lurks behind the passions
nationalism evokes. Symbols of defeat glorify a nation’s ancient past,
whilereenactingthedestructionofthatpastasanecessarystepincon-
structingafunctioningmodernsociety.Asaresult,thesesymbolsoften
assumeafoundationalroleinnationalmythology.Threatstosuchsym-
bols are perceived as threats to the nation itself and consequently are
metwithdesperationdifficultforoutsiderstounderstand.
Steven J. Mock is co–lead researcher in the Balsillie School of Inter-
national Affairs Ideational Conflict Project and teaches courses on
nationalism,ethnicconflict,andpowersharinginthePoliticalScience
DepartmentoftheUniversityofWaterloo.Mockisapastchairofthe
Association for the Study of Ethnicity and Nationalism and a former
editorandcurrentmemberoftheinternationaladvisoryboardforthe
journalNationsandNationalism.Workingonissuesrelatedtoracism,
ethnic conflict, and genocide and traveling extensively in Europe, the
Balkans, and the Middle East piqued his interest in methods and the-
oriesformodelingsymbolsofidentityandtheemotionstheyevokein
conflictsituations.
“In this rich account, Mock reinvents ethnosymbolic approaches to
nationalism. Deftly navigating between the scylla of postmodernism
andcharybdisofrationalchoice,hehitsthesweetspotbetweencultural
studies and political science that has often been neglected by method-
ologicaltribalists.Inbringingculturalsociologytobearonnationalist
mythology,herevealshowthesecoremythsserveasasurrogatereligion
formodernnations.”
–EricKaufmann,ProfessorofPolitics,BirkbeckCollege,University
ofLondon
“Nationscanbemadeoutofdefeatasmuchasoutofvictory–think
ofIsraelandMasada,orSerbiaandthebattleofKosovoPolje.These
andotherexamples–somenotaswellknownbutequallyinstructive–
provideStevenMockwiththematerialforafascinatingandpersuasive
accountofthisphenomenon.”
–KrishanKumar,UniversityofVirginia
“Inthisverywell-written,highlyaccessible,andcogentlyarguedbook,
Mockdemonstratestheimportancemythsofsacrificeanddefeatplayin
theformationandreproductionofnationalistideologies.Thisisthefirst
comprehensivecomparativeanalysisoftheroleofsymbolsofdefeatin
theconstructionofmodernnation-statesandassuchrepresentsamajor
contribution to several research fields including nationalism studies,
historicalsociology,anthropology,politics,andreligiousstudies.”
–SinisˇaMalesˇevic´,ProfessorofSociology,UniversityCollege,
Dublin
“Using a comparative case-study approach, Steven Mock develops a
provocative theory about nationalism’s adaptation of the religious
blood-sacrificemythasthekeytoitspowerfulgriponmodernsocieties.
Thisisabookthatwillbesuretoengenderanimatedcontroversy.”
–AvielRoshwald,GeorgetownUniversity,authorofTheEndurance
ofNationalism:AncientRootsandModernDilemmas
Symbols of Defeat in the Construction
of National Identity
STEVEN J. MOCK
BalsillieSchoolofInternationalAffairs
cambridgeuniversitypress
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Firstpublished2012
PrintedintheUnitedStatesofAmerica
AcatalogrecordforthispublicationisavailablefromtheBritishLibrary.
LibraryofCongressCataloginginPublicationData
Mock,StevenJ.,1972–
Symbolsofdefeatintheconstructionofnationalidentity/StevenMock.
p. cm.
Includesbibliographicalreferencesandindex.
isbn978-1-107-01336-0
1.Nationalism–History. 2.Nationalcharacteristics–Memory. 3.Crises–
Psychologicalaspects–History. 4.Memory–Socialaspects–History. 5.Collective
memory–History. 6.Politicalmessianism–History. I.Title.
jc311.m54 2011
320.54–dc22 2011015036
isbn978-1-107-01336-0Hardback
CambridgeUniversityPresshasnoresponsibilityforthepersistenceoraccuracyofurls
forexternalorthird-partyInternetWebsitesreferredtointhispublicationanddoesnot
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Contents
Acknowledgments pagevii
Introduction 1
1 TheoriesofNationsandNationalism 13
ModernismandErnestGellner 13
TheLimitsofModernism 18
EthnosymbolismandAnthonySmith 23
TheLimitsofEthnosymbolism 27
SymbolsofDefeat:AuthenticityandModernity 31
TheNationasaSurrogateReligion 44
2 TotemSacrificeandNationalIdentity 50
TotemViolenceandSocialOrder 51
TheFunctionofSacrificialRitualandMyth 62
Religion,Nation,andState 68
TheoriesofNationsandNationalismRevisited 74
SymbolsofDefeatandNationalTotemSacrifice 82
3 SymbolsofDefeatinNationalMonumentandRitual 92
FocalPointsinNationalHistory 100
“Axisnatio” 105
NegotiatingtheTransitionfromtheUniversaltotheNational 122
Unity,Diversity,andContestation 142
4 TheDefeatNarrativeinNationalMythandSymbol 155
TheKosovoCovenant 157
TheSavior 162
ThePrince’sSupper 171
TheHero 173
TheNationalEschatology 184
v
vi Contents
TheSacredExecutioner 193
TheNationalTheodicyandtheNot-So-GoldenAge 201
TheTraitor 215
“Withoutdeaththereisnoresurrection” 223
5 ImplicationstoPoliticsandDiplomacy 232
DefendingtheTotem:DefeatMonumentsasAxisPoints 232
HeroesandSaviorsandtheAutocraticDemocrat:TheCareer
ofSlobodanMilosˇevic´ 242
EnemiesandTraitors:DefiningInsider–OutsiderBoundaries 254
6 Exceptions 260
ImperialNations 261
NationsWithoutStates 267
Conclusions 275
Bibliography 283
Index 293
Acknowledgments
Aworksuchasthis,somanyyearsinthemaking,naturallyincursalarge
debtofgratitude.Iwouldliketothank,firstofall,myfamily:myfather,
DavidMock;mymother,KarenMock(whoalsogavetheproofsafinal
inspection);mybrother,Dan,andhiswife,Ashley,foralwayssurround-
ingmeinanenvironment thatcombined criticalthought withapassion
for social justice and tolerance, along with models of hard work and
creative energy. I am grateful for the intellectual contribution and sup-
portofJohnBreuilly,MontserratGuibernau,JohnHutchinson,Dominic
Lieven, and Anthony D. Smith, as well as my colleagues at the Asso-
ciation for the Study of Ethnicity and Nationalism (ASEN): primarily,
my perennial co-chair, conference co-organiser, and co-author, Daphne
Halikiopoulou;HarcourtFuller,forhelpingmelocatesourcesonGhana;
and Gordana Uzelac, for feeding me plum brandy while challenging me
todefendtheintellectualvalueoffunctionalism.Thedepthandbreadth
ofthisworkbenefittedgreatlyfromthevariousconferences,debates,and
seminars organized by ASEN, affording me opportunities to converse
abouttheseideaswithscholarssuchasMichaelBillig,MichaelHechter,
KrishanKumar,CarolynMarvin,AvielRoshwald,andmanyothers.The
input of the (formerly) anonymous reviewers for Cambridge University
Press (Eric Kaufmann and Sinisˇa Malesˇevic´), along with the help of my
editors,wasalsoofgreatvalue.
Thanks go as well to Thomas Homer-Dixon and David Welch, both
forpreparingmeintheearlystagesofmycareerwiththenecessaryback-
ground in multiple interacting models and paradigms of international
relations and peace and conflict studies, and more recently for helping
metosecureabaseattheBalsillieSchoolofInternationalAffairs(BSIA),
vii
viii Acknowledgments
from which I completed the final stages of this book. Some of the early
researchforthisworkwasundertakenattheUniversityofTorontounder
thesupervisionofThomasMcIntire,whilePeterBeyerwastheretointro-
duce me to the sociology and politics of religion in the modern world.
This work could not have been completed without the financial and
institutional support of the London School of Economics, Government
Department,andtheMorrisonFellowshipinPeaceandConflictStudies
attheBSIA.
Needlesstosay,allerrorsandmisjudgmentsareentirelymyown.
StevenJ.Mock
BalsillieSchoolofInternationalAffairs
Waterloo,ON
September2011