"... there is something misleading about this accepted
use of the word ‘nationalism’. It always seems to locate
nationalism on the periphery. Separatists are often to be
found in the outer regions of states; the extremists lurk on
the margins of political life in established democracies,
usually shunned by the sensible politicians of the centre.
The guerrilla figures, seeking to establish their new
homelands, operate in conditions where existing structures
of state have collapsed, typically at a distance from the
established centres of the West. From the perspective of
Paris, peripherally placed on the edge of Europe. All these
factors combine to make nationalism not merely an exotic
force, but a peripheral one. In consequence, those in
established nations – at the centre of things – are led to
see nationalism as the property of others, not of ‘us’.
"This is where the accepted view becomes misleading: it
overlooks the nationalism of the West’s nation-states. In a
world of nation-states, nationalism cannot be confined to
the peripheries. That might be conceded, but still it might
be objected that nationalism only strikes the established
nation-states on special occasions. Crises, such as the
Falklands or Gulf Wars, infect a sore spot, causing bodily
fevers: the symptoms are an inflamed rhetoric and an
outbreak of ensigns. But the irruption soon dies down; the
temperature passes; the flags are rolled up; and, then, it
is business as usual." (p. 5)
"... the term banal nationalism is introduced to
cover the ideological habits which enable the established
nations of the West to be reproduced. It is argued that
these habits are not removed from everyday life, as some
observers have supposed. Daily, the nation is indicated, or
‘flagged’, in the lives of its citizenry. Nationalism, far
from being an intermittent mood in established nations, is
the endemic condition." (p.6)
"The central thesis of the present book is that, in the
established nations, there is a continual ‘flagging’, or
reminding, of nationhood. The established nations are those
states that have confidence in their own continuity, and
that, particularly, are part of what is conventionally
described as ‘the West’. The political leaders of such
nations – whether France, the USA, the United Kingdom or New
Zealand – are not typically termed ‘nationalists’. However,
as will be suggested, nationhood provides a continual
background for their political discourses, for cultural
products, and even for the structuring of newspapers. In so
many little ways, the citizenry are daily reminded of their
national place in a world of nations. However, this
reminding is so familiar, so continual, that it is not
consciously registered as reminding. The metonymic image of
banal nationalism is not a flag which is being consciously
waved with fervent passion; it is the flag hanging unnoticed
on the public building.
"National identity embraces all these forgotten
reminders. Consequently, an identity is to be found in the
embodied habits of social life. Such habits include those of
thinking and using language. To have a national identity is
to possess ways of talking about nationhood. As a number of
critical social psychologists have been emphasizing, the
social psychological study of identity should involve the
detailed study of discourse…. Having a national identity
also involves being situated physically, legally, socially,
as well as emotionally: typically, it means being situated
within a homeland, which itself is situated within the world
of nations. And, only if people believe that they have
national identities, will such homelands, and the world of
national homelands, be reproduced.
"In many ways, this book itself aims to be a reminder.
Because the concept of nationalism has been restricted to
exotic and passionate exemplars, the routine and familiar
forms of nationalism have been overlooked. In this case,
‘our’ daily nationalism slips from attention. There is a
growing body of opinion that nation-states are declining.
Nationalism, or so it is said, is no longer a major force:
globalization is the order of the day. But a reminder is
necessary. Nationhood is still being reproduced: it can
still call for ultimate sacrifices; and, daily, its symbols
and assumptions are flagged." (pp.8-9)
Michael
Billig presents a major challenge to orthodox conceptions of
nationalism. While traditional theorizing has focused on extreme
expressions of nationalism thus making it an exotic and remote
concern, Michael Billig turns his attention to the everyday, and
so less visible, forms that are deeply ingrained in contemporary
consciousness. Banal Nationalism asks why people do not forget
their national identity. It contends that nationalism is
constantly "flagged" in the media through routine symbols and
habits of language. In a well-thought-out analysis, the author
shows how assumptions of nationhood are regularly conveyed,
often through small familiar turns of phrase, and how these
reminders operate mindlessly beyond the level of conscious
awareness, like the flag, which hangs unnoticed outside a public
building. Banal Nationalism addresses these core features of
nationalism while providing the reader with meaningful insights
into their own nationality... (the) book argues forcefully that
nationalism continues to be a major ideological force in the
contemporary world and will be essential reading for students
and academics across the social sciences. 