Showing papers on "Nation-building published in 1994"

The Curse of King Zvonimir and Political Discourse in Embattled Croatia

Abstract: Historical legend on how medieval Croatian king Zvonimir cursed his people that they 'would never have a lord of their own language, but would always be subordinate to the ones speaking foreign languages', had been present in Croatian literature and political discourse for centuries, and became particularly active in the second half of the 19th century, when the modern ideology of national integration achieved its elaborated form within the frame of Habsburg Monarchy. The motif was strongly actualized in media and dominant political discurse in the early 1990's, when country gained independence and, 'for the first time after a thousand years, the ruler of its own breed', i.e. democratically elected president F. Tudjman. It is thus shown how political myths survive in the long historical run, transforming their semantics and connotations to fit ever-changing socio-political contexts, to meet expectations of various partial publics and to serve ends of different actors in a society's identity building.

The Problem of Centralization in the Sudan

Abstract: The withdrawal of British imperial power from the Sudan in the 1950s was accompanied by efforts to conceptualize a new political order using the European conception of nation-state. The European concept of a nation-state refers to a people who share a common language, literature, and cultural tradition. It is the concept of state that has become increasingly important in the organization of Sudanese society, like other Third World societies, following the collapse of the British, Dutch, French, German, Japanese, and Portuguese empires in the period immediately following World War II. The concept of state can, in some basic sense, be considered as constitutive of human societies in the modern era. Fundamental to the conception is the belief that the peoples of the world are (or should be) organized as nation-states in a global family of nations. This idea has been especially important in the organization of European states growing out of what had been called the Holy Roman Empire; Latin American states and the Philippines growing out of the Spanish Empire; and African and Asian states emerging out of the British, French, Portuguese, and Dutch empires. It is necessary to understand both the positive and negative implications of the conception of the state for the constitution of order in the Sudan. The concept of "state," defined as a monopoly of the exercise of authoritative relationships and legitimate use of coercive power in a society, is usually associated with the command theory of sovereignty. A state is presumed to be fully independent of all others and sovereign.

Cultural Pluralism and Education: The Israeli Case

Abstract: Israeli society is often viewed as a Western democracy committed to values characteristic of this type of political system. Cultural pluralism is one of these values. The purpose of this paper is to examine the place of this value in the context of Israeli society, and in particular in its educational system. The paper raises serious doubts about the commitment of Israeli society to the value of cultural pluralism, especially in the educational domain. It is argued that the guiding ideology of the Israeli educational system is that of “nation building,” which aspires to cultivate a shared system of national values and common culture and inculcate them in its school children, thus leaving little room for the value of cultural pluralism. Furthermore, it is argued that the proposed integrative national and cultural agenda leaves no room for Israeli Palestinians, and favours the culture and traditions of Jews of European and American origin and is biased against the cultures and traditions of Jews of Asian and African origin.

Religion, state, and society in contemporary Africa : Nigeria, Sudan, South Africa, Zaire, and Mozambique

Abstract: Contents: The vital element in nation building in contemporary Africa is the interplay of religion as an ideology in the context of state and societal shift from religious to political legitimacy.

Can the Trinidad and Tobago Defence Force be Used Successfully as an Instrument of Nation Building in Trinidad and Tobago

Abstract: : This study examines the role that military forces in less developed countries can play in nation building. It analyses the nation building contributions of the armed forces of Argentina, Brazil, Malaysia, Republic of Korea and Venezuela in their respective countries. The Civilian Conservation Corps that existed in the U.S. in the 1930s and the Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps are also analyzed. The evidence shows that armed forces can assist, in great measure, in nation building. There is, however, the danger that they can become politicized and eventually seize political power. The evidence reveals that there can also be economic and social disadvantages to military nation building. The study shows that the patterns of civil-military relations that exist in less developed nations could influence the success or failure of military nation building programs. Nation building, Civil-Military relations, Role of the military in nation building, Nation building case studies