What do you think are the limitations of nationalism?

 It is very difficult for us to arrive as a precise and widely accepted definition of the term nationalism.

(i)Territory is an essential factor for creating nation and the feeling of the nationalism among the inhabitants of the particular definite area. At present a large part of the world is divided into different nation–states although the process of re–ordering of state boundaries has not come to an end separatist struggles within existing states are common.

(ii)Nationalism has passed through many phases. For example, in the nineteenth century Europe, it led to the unification of a number of small kingdoms into larger nation–states. The present day German and Italian states were formed through such a process of unification and consolidation. A large number of new states were also founded in Latin (or South America).

(iii)Along with the consolidation of state boundaries, local dialects and loyalties were also gradually consolidated into state loyalties and common languages.

The people of the new states acquired a new political identity which was based on membership of the nation state. We have seen a similar process of consolidation taking place in our own country in the last century or more.

(iv) But nationalism also accompanied at contributed to the break up of large empires such as Austro–Hungarian and Russian empires in the early twentieth century in Europe as well as the break of the British French, Dutch and Protuguese empires in Asia and Africa.

The struggle for freedom from colonial rule by India and other former colonies were nationalist struggles, inspired by the desire to establish nation states which would be independent of foreign control.

(v)The process of drawing state boundaries continue to take place since 1960, even apparently stable nation states have been confronted by nationalist demands put forward by groups or regions and these may include demands for separate statehood.

(vi)Today, in several parts of the world we witness nationalist struggles that threaten to divide existing states. Such separatist movements have developed among the Quebecots in Canada, the Basques in northern Spain. The Kurds in Turkey and Iraq, and the Tamils in Sri Lanka among others.

(vii) The language of nationalism is also used by some groups in India. Arab nationalism today may hope to unite Arab countries in a Pan-Arab Union but separatist movements like the Basques or Kurds struggle to divide existing states.