The national nature of globalization and the global nature of nationalism: Historically and methodologically entangled

Abstract

It is often assumed that psychological globalization produces tolerant, cosmopolitan outlooks, which deglobalization is now replacing with intolerance and narrow nationalism. This article argues that nationalism and cosmopolitanism, rather than being simple opposites, are entangled historically and methodologically, and that the national nature of globalization and the global nature of nationalism need to be recognized. Historically, the period of globalization coincided with the formation of the world of nation-states. Methodologically, economic calculations of globalization assume a world of nation-states. Nationalism is not only global in its reach but national consciousness is entangled with international consciousness. This entanglement may not be apparent if nationalism is equated with its extreme forms, for nationalism has everyday forms in established states. This article shows how studies of cosmopolitanism can themselves take for granted the world of nation-states within their methodologies. There are some brief suggestions about how to study banal nationalism.