Nationalism free essay sample

The idea of nationalism is a new and complex phenomenon. It is difficult to gain an exact definition was what and how nationalism came to be, however there are popular ideas and theories. Two of the main approaches to understanding nationalism is through Anthony Smiths idea of primordialist and Benedict Andersons constructivist approach. The primordialist approach explained by Smith is the idea that nations are natural phenomenon which are that have been around since the beginning of creation. The constructivist approach which Anderson describes is the idea that nations are made up by the members in them. Anderson defines nationalism as â€Å"an imagined political monnunity and imaged as both inherenly limited and sovereign† (Anderson, 5-7). However both ideas believe that there regardless of approaches both share the idea that people within nations share a strong bond and kinship with each other because they share a national identity in some way. Often times people creat their own nation identities bases on factors such as religion or territory, which leads to the way their ideas and places shape nationalism. India has often been described as one state with two different nations trapped within it. There is a Hindu India and a Muslim India, both constantly clashing with one another due to lifestyle differences. The constant blood shed caused poet Muhammad Iqbal to derive the idea of a seperate â€Å"North-West India Muslim state†(Iqbal, speech Dec 3rd). This separate state, which would be Pakistan, Iqbal urged in his speech would be the only plausible solution to stop the violence between Hindu Nationalist and Mulsim, and would gain equality for Muslims in a land that was there can have equality. Iqbal creats an argument based off the idea that Islam was immemorial and natural therefor was an identity. Islam itself is a destiny and will not suffer a Destiny† (Iqbal). This statement demonstrates that Islam has a fate of its own that has been and will be around for the rest of time. Illustrating the idea that Islam has a history all its own which bonds people through both ancient and present struggles. Iqbal was not the only person who believed a good solution to the problem between Hindus and Muslims would be settle by a separate state, President of the Muslim League, and later founder of Pakistan Muhammad Jinnah also promoted this idea. Jinnah was an Indian Muslim Nationalist who promoted the idea, like many others, of Swarji or the idea of â€Å"India for Indians†, India governing itself without Control. Jinnah believed that Islam as its own identity and that regardless of lack of a state Islam was a nation all its own in the minds of its followers, â€Å"The Musalmans are a nation by any definition† (Jinnah, Speech). Therefor when Jinnah was fighting for India’s independence he wanted to make sure that his nation was properly represented, realizing that they would not gain equal opportunity even without the British Jinnah began promoting the idea of a Muslim state. Justifying the need for a state by demonstrating that Islam was its own identity had its own culture therefor now needed a state in which the members of the nation may flourish and live in peach and equality. Both Iqbal and Jinnah demonstrate the use of the Smiths approach of primordialism, they created an image of Islam which showed it as a natural phenomenon of life, with its own destiny and lifestyle and gave it its own state, Pakistan, which Jinnah in a way justifies as a right the Muslim nation has due to its immemorial roots. The idea of a Islam nation for Indian Muslims was an event that was caused by nationalism of a group. It is not a completely foreign idea that two religions can often clash with each other especially when ones emense natinalism is put into the picture. As we read in the book Hindu Nationalism: A Reader by C. Jaffrelot we see how many Hindu Nationalist saw Muslims as people who were interfering on Hindue culture, territory and identity, therefore interfering with their nationalism. Hindu nationalism was so strong that was able to take over power in India from the 1999 elections all the way until 2004. (Jaffrelot 32). Hindu nationalist had open ideas about what many Muslims should do and shouldnt do and they made there thoughts of Muslims very clear in their slogan, â€Å"Hindi-Hindu-Hindistan Muslims go to Pakistan Another place you can go as well you will know its name as hell† (Mohiuddin, Birthmark). Hindu nationalism had began a short time before this however, and it was people such as Madhav Sadashiv Golwalker. Golwalker was a Hindu nations prior to the 1999 elections. He urged people to agree with his idea that Muslims were a threat to the Hindu people and believed that India should not be a secular  state, believing that India was by nature a Hindu state. This idea caused Hindu, like Islam to take on its own Identity, therefore giving itself its own unique culture. This way of thinking agrees with Smiths idea of a natural order to nations. It was ideas such as these that lead to the even that happened at Babri Masjid, which is often referred to as the Babri Controve rsy The controversy was over the location of a Mosque in the city of Ayodhya, a city as shown in the documentary that was full of over hundreds of different Mosques and Temples within walking distance of eachother. In the documentary we see that some Hindu Nationalist believed that the Hindu god Ram was born at that exact location of the Mosque, and that the Mosque was originally build over a temple. Even though this idea was backed by no evidence, the idea of a Mosque were a Hindu God was born began angering Hindu. What truly set fire to this controversy was when a few Hindu priests decided to take back the Mosque and put Hindu Idols in the Mosque and demanded it be torn down and made into a temple. This form of nationalism agrees with Andersons approach of Constructivism shaping nationalism. The idea that nations are imaged by the members who live in them regardless of contradicition in their nation they feel a bond with there nation and members and are willing to kill, harm and sacrifice for what they believe is there nations rights. However not all Hindu nationalist took this intence and violent approach toward the Muslim Indians. For example Muhatma Gandhi, Gandhi saw the nation as not divided by religion or ethnic groups but by territory and boundaries. Gandhis main objective was to have Swarji, an India for Indians, a place for home rule, and had the idea of a secular India were the different religions and groups would converge together once the heavy hand of the British was lifted. â€Å"the Indian nations was to be definded according tot he territorial cirterion not on the basis of culturlal features encompassed all those who happened to live within the borders.. † (C. Jaffrelot, 36). Gandhi believed that the nation of India should be identified not by the ideas the British has brought over, but the simple way of living. Gandhi believed that India had lost its nationalism, and was being submerged with European culture and institutions, urging against such things as railways, lawyers, and doctors. This with with Smiths idea of ancient heritages forming national identities for people. Although it is argued in both Jaffrelots book and in Jinnahs speech that Gandhi often had mainly the best interest in Hindu Indians at heart, making his main focus creating a constitution that would most likely not properly represent the minority which was Muslim. Gandhi did still believe in secularism, and believed that if the British did let go of the control they had over India the different groups would be able to live in harmony with each other. What he failed to mention however was how by removing the British all the hard feelings that the Hindus and Muslims had against each other would fade away. This idea of India as a secular state is an affect of Indian nationalism, and is an example of Anderson constructivism idea. Anderson argues that nations are imaged by the members in the nations and also that they are imaged as sovereign states. This idea of having a secular India demonstrates how Gandhi and other Hindu nationalist are are creating this idea of nation in which religions can live peacefully without religion creating frustration and disorganization within the nation. Gandhi was not the only person to believe that India needed to go back its own natural ways of living and worshipping. Swami Dayananda Saraswati, Hindu reformist and a Gujarat Brahmin. (Jaffrelot, 45). Saraswati