Proto-Nationalism in Premodern Korea and Since 1780 Essay

Exclusively available on Available only on IvyPanda®
This academic paper example has been carefully picked, checked and refined by our editorial team.
You are free to use it for the following purposes:
  • To find inspiration for your paper and overcome writer’s block
  • As a source of information (ensure proper referencing)
  • As a template for you assignment

Hobsbawm (1990) discusses the reasons and the ways of the concept of “national patriotism” becoming a powerful political force within a short time. The author speaks about the development of certain communal sentiments, which could have been predecessors of nationalism. These proto-national sentiments can be both “supra-local” and springing from local political communities (Hobsbawn, 1990, p. 46). Nevertheless, proto-national sentiments do not always transform into national sentiments. For example, the Jews managed to preserve their sense of common Jewishness even though they did not have a Jewish State for a long time and are now nationalistic.

The concept of proto-nationalism is difficult to define because it can be found in many aspects such as language, ethnicity, religion, and consciousness of belonging to a lasting political entity. Also, nationalism and proto-nationalism can be the same. Still, proto-nationalism itself cannot form nationalities, nations, or states due to certain reasons. Firstly, there are fewer national movements than human groups that can potentially form a nation. Secondly, proto-nationalist sentiments lose their importance for patriotism formation after a state is established. Thirdly, there is a lack of evidence of proto-nationalist sentiments’ existence because they could have been not recorded due to the illiteracy of the population that developed these ideas.

Duncan (1998) introduces the concept of proto-nationalism in pre-modern Korea. The author agrees with the majority of the twentieth-century scholars who claimed that nations could be treated as entities that preceded the development of contemporary nation-states. This theory is particularly true about Korea because the nation has been living on a single territory with very little racial mixing (Duncan, 1998). The author mediates between two attitudes towards the Korean nation, like the one preceding the development of the Korean state and being a modern creation.

Duncan (1998) addresses the ideas of Hobsbawn (1990) about the areas of proto-national identification, such as language, ethnicity, religion, and membership in a lasting political entity. While all of these areas are significant, belonging to a lasting political entity is considered to be a decisive criterion of proto-nationalism. Duncan (1998) claims that, in the case of Korea, all of the suggested areas contributed to the formation of modern nationalism.

The development of the nation and state lasted for centuries and differed from that of European countries. On the whole, the author agrees with previous ideas of proto-nationalism and adds that the Korean sense of self-identification had a long history and had a significant impact on the formation of the contemporary Korean state.

References

Duncan, J. (1998). Proto-nationalism in premodern Korea. In Lee & Park (Eds.). Perspective on Korea, pp. 198-221 Sydney, Australia: Wild Peony.

Hobsbawm, E. J. (1990). Nations and nationalism since 1780. Programme, myth, reality (2nd ed.). Cambridge, United Kingdom: Cambridge University Press.

More related papers Related Essay Examples
Cite This paper
You're welcome to use this sample in your assignment. Be sure to cite it correctly

Reference

IvyPanda. (2021, May 16). Proto-Nationalism in Premodern Korea and Since 1780. https://ivypanda.com/essays/proto-nationalism-in-premodern-korea-and-since-1780/

Work Cited

"Proto-Nationalism in Premodern Korea and Since 1780." IvyPanda, 16 May 2021, ivypanda.com/essays/proto-nationalism-in-premodern-korea-and-since-1780/.

References

IvyPanda. (2021) 'Proto-Nationalism in Premodern Korea and Since 1780'. 16 May.

References

IvyPanda. 2021. "Proto-Nationalism in Premodern Korea and Since 1780." May 16, 2021. https://ivypanda.com/essays/proto-nationalism-in-premodern-korea-and-since-1780/.

1. IvyPanda. "Proto-Nationalism in Premodern Korea and Since 1780." May 16, 2021. https://ivypanda.com/essays/proto-nationalism-in-premodern-korea-and-since-1780/.


Bibliography


IvyPanda. "Proto-Nationalism in Premodern Korea and Since 1780." May 16, 2021. https://ivypanda.com/essays/proto-nationalism-in-premodern-korea-and-since-1780/.

If, for any reason, you believe that this content should not be published on our website, please request its removal.
Updated:
Privacy Settings

IvyPanda uses cookies and similar technologies to enhance your experience, enabling functionalities such as:

  • Basic site functions
  • Ensuring secure, safe transactions
  • Secure account login
  • Remembering account, browser, and regional preferences
  • Remembering privacy and security settings
  • Analyzing site traffic and usage
  • Personalized search, content, and recommendations
  • Displaying relevant, targeted ads on and off IvyPanda

Please refer to IvyPanda's Cookies Policy and Privacy Policy for detailed information.

Required Cookies & Technologies
Always active

Certain technologies we use are essential for critical functions such as security and site integrity, account authentication, security and privacy preferences, internal site usage and maintenance data, and ensuring the site operates correctly for browsing and transactions.

Site Customization

Cookies and similar technologies are used to enhance your experience by:

  • Remembering general and regional preferences
  • Personalizing content, search, recommendations, and offers

Some functions, such as personalized recommendations, account preferences, or localization, may not work correctly without these technologies. For more details, please refer to IvyPanda's Cookies Policy.

Personalized Advertising

To enable personalized advertising (such as interest-based ads), we may share your data with our marketing and advertising partners using cookies and other technologies. These partners may have their own information collected about you. Turning off the personalized advertising setting won't stop you from seeing IvyPanda ads, but it may make the ads you see less relevant or more repetitive.

Personalized advertising may be considered a "sale" or "sharing" of the information under California and other state privacy laws, and you may have the right to opt out. Turning off personalized advertising allows you to exercise your right to opt out. Learn more in IvyPanda's Cookies Policy and Privacy Policy.

1 / 1