Studying the cleavaged society: The contributions of Eric Hobsbawm

Abstract

In the study of the relation between society and politics, it is often assumed that political systems will mirror societal cleavages and that the conflict potential in these societies is related to the cleavage structure thereof. Consequently, studies of politics in cleavaged societies usually focus merely on the consequences of societal ‘lines of divide’ for political stability or instability. In contrast, Hobsbawm directs attention to the origin and perpetuation of such cleavages and illustrates how these are readily manipulated by both political elites and the masses to attain certain goals. He uses ‘the invention of tradition’ conceptually to indicate that phenomena, often seen as ‘natural’, are in fact deliberate constructions generated to foster group identity, to legitimize authority and status structure and to inculcate certain sentiments. Examples of such constructions or artefacts include the nation, nationalism, national languages, the national flag, and the commemoration of historical dates. By focusing on nationalism, Hobsbawm illustrates how invented traditions can be used as vehicles for the politicizing of societal cleavages and how different conceptions of the nation can mitigate or intensify these ‘lines of divide’.