Marx Engels Lenin Institute
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"Postmodern" Nationalisms
🕑 Added 2021-10-13 18:41:37 +0000 UTCWe use the sub-nationalisms of Quebec and Scotland to understand nationalism theory and nation-building in the postmodern era. We contend that nationalisms in our current postmodern period are predominantly led by the petite bourgeoisie, in contrast to the ones of the past led by the bourgeoisie.
We ask: Can a nation-building projects led by the petite bourgeoisie be successful? What value do they have to an internationalist socialist project?
Mentioned in the show:
Imagined Communities, book by Benedict Anderson
Show on Aufhebunga Bunga podcast on Scottish independence: https://aufhebungabunga.podbean.com/e/181-juche-in-north-britain-ft-cat-boyd-david-jamieson/
Comments
William Mckay
The question of the anti-colonial revolution and it's successes and failures is one that deserves at least one episode all to itself. My thoughts in brief are that the existence of the USSR opened up the possibility at least of colonised nations bring able nationalise all their key economic sectors in order to develop a domestic industrial base. That was still limited but since the counter revolutions of 1989 we've seen that possibility drastically recede. Now any independence struggle rapidly faces the limitation that it's domestic ruling class is already incorporated into the imperialist world system. With all the problems that creates. Essentially the choice really is between socialism or barbarism now in these struggles. Alex
CJ
I agree with your understanding of nationalisms of the first world, in Canada and the UK, but you extended the same analysis to Africa and elsewhere in the former third world without much explanation of how the new circumstances (if they are indeed new) made that type of nationalism, anticolonial nationalism outdated. I would think an argument in your favor in this aspect of the discussion would be the tendency for the local capitalists to be in whole or in part compradors to the imperialists.
William Mckay
It’s a great read!
Ashes
Oh the coincidence! I had just bought Imagined Communities a week ago.
