Blood And Belonging Essay Research Paper Politics free essay sample

Blood And Belonging Essay, Research Paper Politicss of Western EuropeNovember 17, 1994Politics of Western EuropeBLOOD AND BELONGINGThis is a review of the book, Blood and Belonging, by MichaelIgnatieff. This paper will explicate the topic of the book and itsrelevance, discuss Michael Ignatieff # 8217 ; s methods and decisions on thesubject and eventually include a personal review of the book by theauthor of this paper.The writer of the book travels on what he footings # 8220 ; the sixjourneys. # 8221 ; On these # 8220 ; journeys # 8221 ; he encounters different civilizations, as he travels to six different co-occuring countries of the universe. He examinesthe alone look of patriotism that each public displays byinterviewing assorted members of that peculiar society. The six areasthat he travels to are specifically chosen for the lucidity whichnationalism is expressed in society. Patriotism is a factorcontributing toward both present possible hereafter instability in theseareas. These countries are former Yugoslavia ( sp ecifically Croatia andSerbia ) , Germany, Ukraine, Quebec, Kurdistan and Northern Ireland. We will write a custom essay sample on Blood And Belonging Essay Research Paper Politics or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Harmonizing to Ignatieff, in Croatia and Serbia there is a desire for aseparate individuality between the two states. The fright of losing one # 8217 ; snational individuality has caused cultural hatred. A panic so strong andhistorically relentless, it has driven people to a despairing province todo anything. This is a big subscriber to the grounds for the extremeviolence nowadays at that place today. The writer provinces, # 8220 ; A Croat, therefore, issomeone who is non a Serb. A Serb is person who is non a Croat. # 8221 ; This citation deeply expresses the short-sighted outlook presentin their struggle. In his travels in Germany, the writer points out an importantquestion. Does the state make the province, or the province the state? This inquiry by far does non halt here, particularly when Germany is thesubject. The kernel of the German people is seen by some as aggressiveand offense, therefore the being of the German job. If the nationmakes the province so Germany will ever b e a menace. If the statemakes the state, so the aggressive nature of the German state, whichlead the universe into two planetary wars, can be harnessed and redirected. The inquiry has its roots and replies in the recent reunion ofGermany. The Ukraine is concerned with non being Russian. It is hereIgnatieff receives a complete vision of what patriotism is. He states, # 8221 ; I understand what patriotism truly is: the dream that a whole nationcould be like a fold ; singing the same anthem, listening to thesame Gospel, sharing the same emotions, linked non merely to each otherbut to the dead buried beneath their feet. # 8221 ; Quebec is a theoretical account that presents a possible hereafter of the statesystem. Ignatieff uses the illustration of Quebec to exemplify therelationship between patriotism and federalism. He implies that # 8220 ; iffederalism fails in Canada it can neglect anywhere. # 8221 ; If the balancebetween # 8220 ; cultural and civil rules # 8221 ; is non maint ained in Canada, whois non an destitute state and has a big, successful economic system ; thenperhaps the modern universe has non transcended the appreciation of patriotism. The Kurds represent a state without a province, who findthemselves surrounded by other states who are more aggressivenationalists. The term Kurdistan is a definition of the countries used byIgnatieff to explicate the country of major Kurdish public concentration. There is no existent boundary lines, no flag, no authorities and Kurds mustacknowledge the province in which they reside ( i.e. , # 8211 ; Syria, Turkey, Iranand Iraq ) , of which, is non Kurdistan. Finally, the 6th journey ends in Northern Ireland. He makesthe observation that this is the ideal topographic point to reason his undertaking. Northern Ireland contains a return of the subjects that seemed soprevalent in the other journeys. In Ireland ethnicity, faith andpolitics are all edge into one look or individuality. These are alsoevident in the five old surveies. Is Michael Ignatieff # 8217 ; s work relevant? The reply to thisquestion is, yes it is. The issue is of import. Patriotism presentsitself as a phenomenon. The inquiries of why people need to retain acultural individuality and the manner they go about continuing it is stillunanswerable. Evermore unfathomable is the force permeated throughnationalistic looks, which are # 8220 ; necessary # 8221 ; by the partiesinvolved. The really being of the mystery created by nationalismdictates the demand to research the topic in more deepness. The state of affairss in the book are non stray events. Nationalismexists in every province all over the universe. There is a dichotomypresented by Ignatieff between patriotism and federalism. He explainsthe political philosophy of patriotism by saying # 8220 ; ( 1 ) that the universe # 8217 ; speoples are divided into states, ( 2 ) that these states should hold theright of self-government, and ( 3 ) that the full self-determinationrequi res statehood. # 8221 ; Federalism, though non a peculiar political orientation, is ameans of sharing political power among different peoples within a province. The assorted systems of authorities which autumn under the definition offederalism are non debatable to the people ; unless, of class, theyare non wholly legitimate. If the authorities is illicit, thenideally nationalism stairss in to demand a wholly self-determinedgovernment, which renders proper representation to its public. Despite the diverseness of a province # 8217 ; s population, theoretically, harmoniousness is maintained since the people are decently represented or controlled. This state of affairs with fluctuation is experienced through out the world. States are dynamic, also their government and populace. If the dynamicsof the government or the state do not keep up with the pace of change inthe populace, then instability will rise in the name of nationalism andshake the very foundation of the state if left unchecked or notplacated. The method used by the author of the book was personalinterviews with both prominent people and the normal everyday person inthe areas visited. He also uses descriptions on the surrounding areasto accent the point of discussion. His intent was to objectively takethe reader on a stroll through the areas he visited. Through his styleof writing, he allows the reader to sit in on his interview byhighlighting specific questions and the responses that take place in hisconversations. Finally, he creates visual images that he had viewed asironic and analogical in support of his observations. Ignatieff comes to the conclusion that nationalism is not theproblem of this world. Continuing, he goes on to say that when oneloses their individuality to become a â€Å"patriot,† that is where thedanger lies. Being yourself is something that ethnic nationalism doesnot allow. Political ideologies can become blinding to its possessors. At the beginning of the book mentions that he is a liberal. Thetraveling and experiences did not change that at all. He notes theimportance of â€Å"liberal virtues – tolerance, compromise, reason,† butconcludes in an observation about how these virtues are opposing humannature. Ignatieff addresses the violence factor that surroundsnationalism like a plague, concluding that, nationalist rhetoric is anexcuse to commit acts of violence. He observed that most of theviolence is performed by young men between the ages of 18 to 25. Hisexplanation is that the liberal mind set forgets that not everyone hatesviolence. He also says that there exists in males a basic loathing ofpeace. Human nature is the reason for the violence or Ignatieff t hinksthat it is specifically male human nature. I personally enjoyed the book and found it to be interestingreading. It had the aspect of a novel without losing its academicnature. Michael Ignatieff’s writing style was creative and supportedhis observations well. He portrayed the destruction that he found inhis journeys in a way that allowed the reader to experience the samedespair and hopelessness of seeing it first hand. Another interesting perspective that the author added to thebook was his own identity. He traveled to places that he had eitherlived at or where his family originally came from. His family rootsadd a personal touch that would otherwise have been left out. Religion and its role in society are important concerningnationalism. It is in this author’s opinion that religions not beviewed as a secondary facet to nationalism. The Islamic uprisings inFrance and the peace talks in southwest Asia between Israel and Syriaare two different perspectives to the arg ument. Claude Barreau, advisorto the minister of interior in France says, â€Å"Foreigners arriving inFrance . . . now have a new fatherland. Islam has a place in France,provided it is willing to stay discreet as the other religions. ButIslamist are coming as colonisers.† This illustrates an underlyingprincipal that splits Europe down the middle. France is arepresentation of Europe according to the late Charles De Gaulle. France has adopted internal policies to control the growth of Islam bylimiting both social expressions of that faith and by specificimmigration procedures. Are not the three million plus population ofMoslems in France entitled to nationalistic expression of their identityas French Muslims? Where does that leave the Bosnian Muslims, theTurks or any other non Christian state located near or inside Europe?The second point deals with Israel and Syria. The two countrieshave been at odds with each other since 1947 when Israel was recognizedas a state. The main rea son for the clash is the difference ofreligion, not national identity. However, both countries have evolvedsince their beginnings and have strong nationalistic tendencies. Bothcountries are now leaning toward compromise rather than a holy war. Asthe talks continue for the return of the Golan Heights to Lebanon theMoslem Jew factor still remains tense. Of the recent peace talks is thestrip of land called the Golan Heights in north of Israel. Avoiding anattempt to explain an extremely complex situation or to oversimplify thematter, it is a fact that many heads of state in the region are choosingpolitical solutions to old religious problems. However, the foundationsof their society are religions, to be specific Islam and Judism. Thisreligious factor will never cease and always cause instability in theregion because of fundmentalism present on both sides.In conclusion, the subject of the book, Blood and Belonging,has been discussed. The relevance of the book’s theme was examined along with the authors methods and style of writing. This critique alsoaddressed the conclusions drawn by Michael Ignatieff concerningnationalism and its expressions in the world. Perhaps the world willallways have to deal with the dichotomy dicussed in this paper, howeverone can only hope that a long lasting solution will be found. BIBLIOGRAPHY1. Ignatieff, Michael Blood and Belonging: Journeys into the NewNationalism. New York, NY: Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 1993. 2. â€Å"It Depends on Rabin.† The Economist, 24th-30th September, 1994, pp.42-43. 3. â€Å"Secularity Defied.† The Economist, 8th-14th October, 1994, p.53.