Ethnic Nationalism

An Ethnic Nationalism is a nationalist political ideology that defines national membership through shared ancestry, ethnic heritage, and blood descent rather than civic principles.

• AKA: Ethnic Nationalist Ideology, Ethnonationalism, Blood and Soil Nationalism, Völkisch Nationalism.
• Context:
  • It can typically restrict national membership to those sharing common ancestry and ethnic markers.
  • It can often promote cultural homogeneity, linguistic unity, and racial purity as national ideals.
  • It can frequently conflict with immigrant communities and minority groups within state boundaries.
  • It can justify irredentist claims based on ethnic distribution across political borders.
  • It can range from being a Cultural Ethnic Nationalism to being a Racial Ethnic Nationalism, depending on its exclusion criteria.
  • It can range from being a Defensive Ethnic Nationalism to being an Aggressive Ethnic Nationalism, depending on its political objectives.
  • It can range from being a Democratic Ethnic Nationalism to being an Authoritarian Ethnic Nationalism, depending on its governance model.
  • It can range from being a Separatist Ethnic Nationalism to being an Expansionist Ethnic Nationalism, depending on its territorial goals.
  • It can lead to ethnic cleansing and forced assimilation in extreme cases.
  • ...
• Examples:
  • German Ethnic Nationalism emphasizing Germanic ancestry.
  • Japanese Ethnic Nationalism promoting Yamato race supremacy.
  • Serbian Ethnic Nationalism in the Yugoslav Wars.
  • Han Chinese Nationalism in contemporary China.
  • Zionist Ethnic Nationalism defining Jewish state.
  • ...
• Counter-Examples:
  • Civic Nationalism, accepting all who embrace shared values.
  • Religious Nationalism, uniting through faith regardless of ethnicity.
  • Territorial Nationalism, including all within geographic boundaries.
• See: Nationalist Political Ideology, Romantic Nationalism, Volksgeist, Irredentist Ideology, Racist Ideology, Social Darwinism, Blood Descent, Ethnic Cleansing, Tribalism, Primordialism.

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