Nationalism studies does not seem to be a very innovative field of research. The path-breaking views of Anderson, Gellner and Hobsbawm – all published in 1983 – still form the starting point for... Show moreNationalism studies does not seem to be a very innovative field of research. The path-breaking views of Anderson, Gellner and Hobsbawm – all published in 1983 – still form the starting point for almost all existing investigations. Moreover, most recent studies focus on one national case, which implicitly results in a vast collection of ‘unique’ trajectories. However, over the last few years a number of highly original studies on the origins of nationalism, nation-state formation, banal nationalism, methodological nationalism and nation-building in a global perspective seem to announce a new dawn. Some of these refreshing interpretations – which will be discussed in this article – clearly demonstrate that historiographical nationalism still has a preponderant role in history writing. In the concluding paragraphs I will emphasize the need to overcome not only methodological nationalism, but also the terminological and normative nationalism that still dominates our discipline. Show less
Methodological nationalism is still dominant in nationalism studies. When studying the construction of national identities, scholars generally limit their study to the borders of one nation-state,... Show moreMethodological nationalism is still dominant in nationalism studies. When studying the construction of national identities, scholars generally limit their study to the borders of one nation-state, while only paying attention to members of that particular nation. Implicitly, foreign actors and influences are left out of the picture. I will challenge this methodological nationalism with a case study, which demonstrates that the place of Toledo within the Spanish national imagination, and more particularly that of El Greco, the most important representative of the city's artistic heritage, was largely determined by foreigners. During the nineteenth century, El Greco was rediscovered primarily by foreign scholars and artists. Moreover, it would be the rise of international tourism in the early twentieth century that convinced Toledans to adopt El Greco as the city's main artistic icon. This case, thus, clearly shows that in nationalism studies methodological nationalism can be avoided by also including foreign actors. Show less
Methodological nationalism is still dominant in nationalism studies. When studying the construction of national identities, scholars generally limit their study to the borders of one nation-state,... Show moreMethodological nationalism is still dominant in nationalism studies. When studying the construction of national identities, scholars generally limit their study to the borders of one nation-state, while only paying attention to members of that particular nation. Implicitly, foreign actors and influences are left out of the picture. I will challenge this methodological nationalism with a case study, which demonstrates that the place of Toledo within the Spanish national imagination, and more particularly that of El Greco, the most important representative of the city's artistic heritage, was largely determined by foreigners. During the nineteenth century, El Greco was rediscovered primarily by foreign scholars and artists. Moreover, it would be the rise of international tourism in the early twentieth century that convinced Toledans to adopt El Greco as the city's main artistic icon. This case, thus, clearly shows that in nationalism studies methodological nationalism can be avoided by also including foreign actors. Show less
During the last 30 years, our understanding of the nation-building process in various parts of Europe and across the globe has increased substantially. Some of the most important results of this... Show moreDuring the last 30 years, our understanding of the nation-building process in various parts of Europe and across the globe has increased substantially. Some of the most important results of this growing body of studies will be discussed in this review article, which consists of four parts. First, I will examine some innovative trends in the field of nationalism studies, such as the growing attention for the impact of nationalism on popular culture and the interplay between regional and national identities. The second part makes clear that the overwhelming majority of existing studies deals with one region or nation, while taking the national framework for granted. By presenting the history of Europe as a collection of (isolated) national histories, most scholars still fall prey to a methodological nationalism. One way to overcome this (implicit) methodological nationalism is to analyse the impact of foreign tourism on the construction and diffusion of national and regional identities. The role of tourism in the construction of territorial identities has already been explored in a growing number of studies. Some of the most important contributions to this field will be reviewed in the third part. Finally, I will argue that the impact of foreign visitors on the nation-building process can best be studied in a comparative way by focusing on local communities as the arena in which the outside influences of an international, national and regional level came together and demanded a local response. Show less
