Green nationalism from above: Authoritarian state power and the greening of UAE nationalism

IF 1.3 2区社会学 Q2 ETHNIC STUDIES

Nations and Nationalism Pub Date : 2024-08-01 DOI:10.1111/nana.13042

Natalie Koch

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引用次数: 11

Abstract

Abstract All nationalisms have multiple storylines that evolve in response to changes in global affairs. The shifting geopolitical and ecological circumstances surrounding climate change are contributing to the strengthening of “green nationalisms” around the world — including in authoritarian states. This article examines the rise of green nationalism in the UAE, where state‐led discourse has tapped into sustainability tropes to reframe the country's national identity and values as “green.” Building from over 5 years of qualitative research on the UAE's sustainability agenda, it examines the evolution of state‐led green nationalist storylines through institutional, policy, and events landscapes in the years leading up to and including the United Nations COP28 climate talks in Dubai in December 2023. Emirati political elites, I argue, mobilise green nationalism to cultivate symbolic capital domestically and internationally and, in so doing, legitimate their authoritarian hold on state power. The greening of nationalisms requires much closer scrutiny around the world — and especially when promoted by authoritarian leaders who are more motivated by regime durability rather than joining the global community for urgent climate action.

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从上面看绿色民族主义：威权国家权力和阿联酋民族主义的绿化

所有民族主义都有多种故事情节，这些故事情节随着全球事务的变化而演变。围绕气候变化的地缘政治和生态环境的变化，正在推动世界各地——包括威权国家——“绿色民族主义”的加强。本文探讨了绿色民族主义在阿联酋的兴起，在那里，国家主导的话语利用可持续发展的比喻来重新构建国家的民族认同和“绿色”价值观。通过对阿联酋可持续发展议程长达5年多的定性研究，该报告考察了2023年12月在迪拜举行的联合国气候变化大会（COP28）之前和之后的几年里，国家主导的绿色民族主义故事情节在制度、政策和事件方面的演变。我认为，阿联酋的政治精英们动员绿色民族主义，在国内和国际上培育象征性资本，从而使他们对国家权力的独裁统治合法化。民族主义的“绿色化”需要在全球范围内进行更密切的审查——尤其是在威权领导人的推动下，这些领导人的动机更多是为了政权的持久性，而不是加入国际社会，采取紧急气候行动。

本文章由计算机程序翻译，如有差异，请以英文原文为准。

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来源期刊

Nations and Nationalism Multiple-

CiteScore

3.60

自引率

22.70%

发文量

106

期刊介绍： Nationalism is one of the central issues of the modern world. Since the demise of the Soviet Union there has been a proliferation of nationalist and ethnic conflicts. The consequent explosion of interest in ethnicity and nationalism has created an urgent need for systematic study in this field. Nations and Nationalism aims to satisfy this need. As a scholarly, multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary journal, it is designed to respond to the rapid growth of research in the study of nationalism and nationalist movements throughout the world.