POLS 1402 Lecture Notes - Lecture 2: Comparative Politics, Nationstates, Empowered
13 Mar 2018
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Document Summary
It is an essentially contested concept (wb gallie 1956) There is some widespread agreement but no definitive answer. The subject matter for ir is vast/debated. Different to comparative politics and global politics. Nation: a community of people who share a common sense of identity based on ethnic, linguistic, and cultural identity; usually tied to a geographic region. Remember: nations are not the same thing as states!! Modern: imagined political communities (benedict anderson, 1983) Controlled by a sovereign government (meaning that you can"t be controlled by anyone else but this government. ) Means that the government answers to no higher authority (can enforce laws, collect taxes) The state has a monopoly on the legitimate use of physical force (weber 1909) From club of princes to club of (western) democracies. Nation states arise when empire"s end (or after wars) Empowered individuals (through international communities technology and travel)
