In the past two decades, the problem of the growth of "unhealthy" nationalism has become especially acute. The root of this problem is people's ignorance of what nationalism is. The definition of this concept, meanwhile, is not difficult to find on a multitude of information resources. However, it is often misinterpreted, so the term should be properly considered.
The idea of nationalism
Nationalism is an ideology that relies on the concept of nation and national unity. The fundamental theses of this direction are the ideas about the nation as the most important element in the formation of the state and the highest form of unity of society. Nationalism, in its essence, is close to patriotism and does not imply non-aggression towards other nations, but love and loyalty to their nation. Thus, the ideas of nationalism in no way propagate xenophobia, let alone violence against anyone, and only urge people to love their people and not to forget about unity, to live and work for the development and prosperity of the nation. Examples of nationalism can be found both in Russia and in other countries. Although nationalist parties rarely become ruling.
Ethnic Nationalism or Ethnic Nationalism
Both in the media and in everyday life, the word "nationalism" often refers to ethno-nationalism, Nazism, and xenophobia. A person who does not know the difference between these concepts and is not sure what ethnonationalism is is likely to mix all the concepts into one. However, there is a significant difference between ethnic and moderate nationalism - ethnonationalism puts the priority of one nation over the rest. Proponents of this trend partly contrast themselves with moderate nationalists, claiming that every nation has a so-called ethnic core, a common “blood”. Assimilation with other nationalities, as well as the mixing of blood with representatives of other races and nations is considered unacceptable and highly condemned.
Examples of Ethnic and Moderate Nationalism
To make it easier to understand the difference between ethnic and civil, that is, moderate nationalism, we can consider examples of nationalism on the scale of individuals and an abstract situation. So, a person who has chosen the profession of a doctor and argues this with a desire to help representatives of his nation to be healthy will be considered a nationalist. At the same time, he will be happy to help representatives of other nationalities, as in the future, perhaps the representatives of another nation healed will speak warmly of him as a doctor and representative of a certain people. This situation is a clear example of moderate nationalism.
If a doctor fundamentally helps only “his own people”, being careless with “strangers”, arguing that he doesn’t have contact with people of a different ethnicity, he can be considered an ethno-nationalist and xenophobe. Of course, in the medical field, such concepts as nations and nationalism should not emerge, but in real life, cases of ethno-nationalism among representatives of both this and other professions are not uncommon.
Ethnic nationalism on a state scale
Unfortunately, ethno-nationalism thrives not only among individuals or their groups. There are situations when entire states are heading for radical ethno-nationalism. An example is the current government of Ukraine, which encourages the radical mood of citizens. What is ethnonationalism as the main national idea? This is an ideology destructive for the country and the people, which has practically nothing in common with a moderate nationalist attitude. Xenophobia of the ruling structure impedes people in all spheres of life - from business and trade to personal issues. People who, by the will of fate, turned out to be citizens of a country ruled by ethno-nationalists, in fact, are forced to exist only within their own nation, minimizing contacts with other nations. Blood mixing and interethnic marriages can ruin the lives of such people, depriving them of the opportunity to live and work normally within their own country. The most striking example of the collapse of an ethno-nationalist state in history is the decline of Germany after the defeat in World War II. The government, which has abandoned the ideas of moderate nationalism towards ethnicity, has lost the country forever.
Small nations and their national feelings
Within almost any country, there are national minorities that, for one reason or another, cannot be isolated. Nevertheless, such peoples also have their own nationalist communities. The basis of the existence of such nationalities is precisely nationalism. An example is the small Zaza people living in eastern Turkey. Zaza will never call themselves Turks, although at the same time they may not know their native language, have Turkish names and surnames. Nevertheless, Zaza are proud of their nationality and emphasize it at every opportunity. The nationalism of small nations, however, rarely turns into ethnonationalism in relation to the national majority, since such sentiments are certainly destructive for themselves.
The fight against ethno-nationalism
For the prosperity of any state and maintaining good relations with other countries, overcoming ethno-nationalism is an important and responsible task. Propaganda of such movements is prohibited by law in most countries. Despite this, it is impossible to completely eradicate ethnic nationalism - in every human being there is an inherent human xenophobia in one concentration or another. Only the voice of reason can pacify such thoughts, therefore, enlightenment in this matter plays an important role. That is why the government, which takes care of the mental health and moral aspect of the life of citizens, will do everything possible to ensure that every resident of the country receives a decent education, which includes the foundations of culture and international relations.
Ethnonationalism in Russia
The issue of ethno-nationalism in Russia is quite acute. What is ethnonationalism for a resident of Russia? This is the division of citizens into Russians by nationality and "non-Russians." This is intolerance to visitors from neighboring republics such as Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Azerbaijan. Moreover, manifestations of “Russian” ethnonationalism can be found not only in the Russian Federation, but also beyond its borders, for example, in the resorts of Turkey, Tunisia and Egypt. Unfortunately, this problem has not yet been completely eradicated, however, both civilians of the Russian Federation and representatives of other countries often relate to such manifestations with humor, which, of course, reduces the degree of tension and extinguishes national conflicts.
