Reciprocal relation between political development and ethnic nationalism

Abstract

There have been hot discussions on the relation between modernization and ethnic nationalism. While there are different views on the issue, they share the common approach that modernization is taken as the explanatory variable and ethnic nationalism the dependent variable. Focusing on the political aspect of modernization, political development, this article argues that the relation between political development, manifested mainly in the rise of the modern state, and ethnic nationalism is a reciprocal rather than a simple, unilateral one. The modern state, as a major creature of ethnic nationalism, has developed into an externalized object that has the intention and capacity to manipulate ethnic relations. Nevertheless, the state has not always been successful in its ethnic policy. On the other hand, ethnic nationalism still maintains some influences over the strength of the state. The situation can be described as an incomplete alienation between ethnic nationalism and the state.