Year: 2026
Type: article
Abstract: ABSTRACT This lecture explores ideas through which we both do and analyse national politics in the modern world, as both concepts and symbols, examining three conceptual pairs: Left/Right, Centre/Periphery and Liberal/Authoritarian. I argue that Left/Right is a symbolic structure that is necessary for democratic politics, but not reflective of deep political principles. We tend to overweight the analytic value of this distinction. Drawing on Edward Shils, I argue that the Centre/Periphery distinction is essential for the analysis of the distributions of material and ideological power in all states, across human history. I argue that the modern distinction between Liberal/Authoritarian hinges on how ‘loose’ or ‘tight’ the governing relationship between centre and periphery is. Beneath this analysis of political ideas is a concern with how nations construct political authority, the core problem of nationalism. I invite comparisons of my approach to Anthony Smith's ethnosymbolism.
Source: Nations and Nationalism
DOI: 10.1111/nana.70137
Author: Jonathan Hearn
Institution: University of Edinburgh
Language: English
Field: Social Sciences
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: hybrid
Estimated APC paid: $3,750
OpenAlex ID: W7225015512