“Imagined Communities” Response

This piece was difficult to get through when I first sat down to read it. However, once I got into it, I found myself really enjoying it. Anderson discusses nationalism and gives a rough definition of it for his readers. He describes nationalism as being similar to religion, but without a belief system with an afterlife. Instead of focusing on a god/goddess, nationalism focuses on the state of a country. Anderson is also able to point out the martyrdom that plays a key role in both religion and nationalism. Later on, Anderson delves in a bit further and discusses the cultural uses of nationalism. By this, I mean the way nationalism is so prominent in society. It has worked itself into the differing cultures of nationalistic societies. I really enjoyed the brief background on Kublai Khan and his acceptance of differing faiths. I think this example was contrasted well with Pedro Fermín de Vargas’ ideology where the only redemption of “barbarians” is through impregnation by white men and the ownership of property. Anderson went from ‘The Religious Community’ to the ‘Dynastic Realm’ where he discusses divine right, one of the few political systems acknowledged and accepted back in the day. This chapter primarily focused on nationalism and how it came to be: from religious and dynastic realms to being culturally infused the way it is today.

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