RELIGST 2EE3 Lecture Notes - Lecture 5: George Orwell, Imagined Communities, Imagined Community
21 Apr 2020
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Regardless of the actual inequality and exploitation that may prevail in each, the nation is always conceived as a deep, horizontal comradeship. Ultimately it is this fraternity that makes it possible, over the past two centuries, for so many millions of people, not so much to kill, as willingly to die for such limited imaginings. Cultural roots of nationalism are in religion. The nation, like religion transforms fatality into continuity, links the dead and the unborn i. e. forever and forever, amen . Enlightenment (18th century europe) questioning of religious doctrine, nationalism provided new response to human need for continuity, collective belonging, way of understanding. There is shooting, defense, offense, surrendering ground, mounting an assault, beating a retreat: all metaphor come from sports. Field is like a map of territories occupied by hostile groups nations, cities, or smaller imagined communities like universities.
