A Nationalism of Good Intentions : Dilemmas of inclusion and exclusion

• The dissertation analyses ethical aspects of nationalism and criticizes the nation-state paradigm. Based on theories that concern various forms of 'benign' nationalism, the dissertation explores fantasies of inclusion with the help of various 'positions'. The question is: How are national identities, which are able to include ethnic minorities, constructed to be ethically justifiable, and what do the fantasies that sustain these ideas look like? Empirically I have worked with media material and have conducted focus groups with various ethno-political activists in Sweden and Finland. These minority groups are discussed based on the positions they hold in relation to the idea of the nation, and also the positions they would hypothetically end up in if their ethno-political struggle were successful. The dissertation is based on a discourse theoretical approach, with specifically the concept of fantasy being utilised from the discourse theoretical framework. My conclusion is that what I call the 'Fantasy of Inclusion', that is, a fantasy that the discourse of nations has taught us to desire, is based on ignoring the ethnic character of different groups in cases where it becomes "uncomfortable" in order to maintain the idea of inclusion as 'benign'.

Subject headings

SAMHÄLLSVETENSKAP  -- Statsvetenskap (hsv//swe)

SOCIAL SCIENCES  -- Political Science (hsv//eng)

Keyword

Politics, Economy and the Organization of Society

Politik, ekonomi och samhällets organisering

Östersjö- och Östeuropaforskning

Baltic and East European studies

Publication and Content Type

vet (subject category)

lic (subject category)