Postnationalism' describes the process or trend by which nation states and national identities loose their importance relative to supernational and global entities. Even though postnationalism is not strictly the antonym of nationalism, the two terms and their associated beliefs are antithetic.
There are several factors that contribute to aspects of postnationalism: Increasing globalization of economic factors, such as increasing international trade with raw materials, manufactured goods, and services, and the importance of multinational corporations and internationalization of financial markets have shifted emphasis from national economies to global ones. At the same time, political power is partially shifted away from national authorities to supernational entities, such as the United Nations, the European Union
, NAFTA, or NATO. In addition, media and entertainment industries are becoming increasingly global and facilitate the formation of trends and opinions on a supernational scale. Migration of individuals or groups between countries contributes to the formation of postnational identities and beliefs, even though attachment to citizenship and national identities often remains important
[1]
[2]
[3].
Postnationalism and the EU
editThe European integration has created a system of supernational entities and is often discussed in relationship to the concept of postnationalism [4] [5] [6].
Postnationalism and the media
editFrost argues that while the internet and online social relations forge social and political bonds across national borders, they do no have "the commitment or cohesiveness needed to underpin a demanding new mode of social and political relations" [7].
Postnationalism in sports
editPostnational trends have been evident in professional sports. Simon Kuper called the 2008 European soccer championship (UEFA Euro 2008) "the first postnational" European Championship [8]. He argues that during the tournament both for players and fans sportmanship and enjoyment of the event were more important than national rivalries or even winning.
References
edit- ^ R. Koopmans and P. Statham; "Challenging the liberal nation-state? Postnationalism, multiculturalism, and the collective claims making of migrants and ethnic minorities in Britain and Germany"; American Journal of Sociology 105:652-696 (1999)
- ^ R.A. Hackenberg and R.R. Alvarez; "Close-ups of postnationalism: Reports from the US-Mexico borderlands"; Human Organization 60:97-104 (2001)
- ^ I. Bloemraad; "Who claims dual citizenship? The limits of postnationalism, the possibilities of transnationalism, and the persistence of traditional citizenship"; International Migration Review 38:389-426 (2004)
- ^ M. Rambour; http://erg.politics.ox.ac.uk/materials/national_identity/Rambour_Paper.pdf (2005)
- ^ J. Shaw; "Postnational constitutionalism in the European Union"; Journal of European Policy 6:579-597 (1999)
- ^ M. Wilkinson; http://www.germanlawjournal.com/article.php?id=192 (2002)
- ^ C. Frost; "Internet galaxy meets postnational constellation: Prospects for political solidarity after the Internet"; Information Society 22:45-49 (2006)
- ^ Simon Kuper; "Steeds Liever"; Vrij Nederland p. 24, June 28, 2008
