Review # 1

What is Nationalism? Why is it important? How does it affect our country?

Nationalism is the political view that one’s nation is great. It creates a sense of belonging and a feeling of pride in that citizenship. It unites people of different backgrounds and beliefs and gives them a sense of identity. It is also the promotion of the shared interests of a nation’s citizens. It exists in all nations and is a feeling that is spread throughout various national societies. In Canada, our nationalism was born out of the desire of the early settlers desire to be “non-American”.  The Loyalists or conservative Americans fled to what we now know to be Canada in search of their own identity.

We have learned that Nationalism has several key features. These features include:

-“Grouping of people organized according to common traits”. These common traits could be grouped by language, likely English or French. Since the French are a minority despite the fact that they are fully Canadian, this may be why a faction of French Canadians seek to separate from predominately English Canada. In Canada, we have two national sports - hockey and lacrosse - both considered representative of our nation. Drinking beer could also be considered a common trait.

-“The nation is bounded by a specific territory”. In Canada, huge bodies of water bound us on three sides. Our territories also include our country’s scenic coastal regions, tall Rocky Mountains, vast areas of wilderness and our snowy north.

-“ The nation encompasses historical continuity”. Our Country was founded by European explorers who came looking for a new way of life. Some of the influential or momentous occurrences that help define and build what our country is today include the battles with indigenous peoples, the coming of the Loyalists, the French-English conflicts, the fur trade, the building of our railroad and the road to confederation.

-“ The nation is homogenous, in that sameness overrides difference.” The feeling that sameness overrides difference promotes, peace, love and a harmonious environment.  This sense of sameness promotes acceptance and the concept that although we are all unique, we are bound by our values and our differences don’t matter. In Canada, we are a very multi-cultural country, built on the traditions and cultural practices of many peoples.  There seems to be less of a “feeling of sameness” in Canada than perhaps in the United States although we are welcoming of many cultures.

We also display our nationalism. The National anthem, Canadian flag, Canada Day, the Winter Olympics, hockey and the colors red and white are all public displays of Canadian nationalism.  

In all Nations there exists states or provinces that run governments, political parties and ultimately control the nation, both regionally and nationally. I believe the nation is meant to be a front to deter others from what actually occurs within the state.

The states promotes rational, organization, power-concentrated views, where as the nation embodies sentimental views, focused on belonging and the notion of commonality.

We have learned that our the stories, facts and influential moments we have learned about our nation’s history, are molded and promoted by the state according to what they want society to believe. The government picks and chooses the information it wants to provide the nation about out history. The story about the genocide of aboriginal people in Canada is one of the biggest “untold” stories in our nation.  How sad it is that such a major piece of history can be wiped clean from the slates in our classrooms.


Zach