Cultural nationalism
Topic: Nationalism and National Self-determination · NCERT: Class 11, Ch 7 "Nationalism"
Meaning
Cultural nationalism bases the nation on a shared language, religion or descent. A shared culture does help: it makes talking easier and gives people common festivals and symbols. But Class 11, Nationalism gives two reasons why it threatens democracy. First, religions are internally diverse, with sects that read their texts differently, so a nation built on one religion becomes authoritarian and oppressive. Second, most societies are culturally mixed, so imposing one religion or language excludes some groups and limits their freedom. NCERT therefore prefers a political basis of nationhood.
Example
Sri Lanka's Sinhala Only Act (1956) made one language dominant and pushed Tamils to the margins. The two-nation idea behind Pakistan is another example. In India, Savarkar's Essentials of Hindutva (1923) argued that a shared civilisational culture underlies Indian unity. Critics say it excludes minorities and dissenting sects.
Don't confuse with
- Civic nationalism: cultural nationalism asks "who are you by birth, faith or language?" Civic nationalism asks "do you share the constitution's values and duties as a citizen?"