We begin with the premise that national identity is inextricably linked to both territory and scale.
This does not mean, however, that these are fixed notions or that the development of national identity follows a linear path.
National identity is in fact dynamic and fluid, changing with forces from above and below, from outside and inside.
In this first section of the book, we look at some of the processes involved in the definition, construction, and manifestation of territory and how scale is implicated in the active evolution of national identity.
In chapter 1, Guntram H. Herb analyzes the complex interrelationship between national identity, power, and territory and discusses some of the dominant perspectives that have sought to define national identity and explain its formation.
He then looks at the role territory plays: how identity is inextricably tied to the land, how territory animates the nation’s sense of self, and how nations seek to maximize control over their territory.
He concludes with a brief assessment of the future of national identity in the context of the modern state system.
In chapter 2, David H. Kaplan examines the scalar aspects of national identity.
He explores why national identity has emerged as the primary political identity for most people based on historical circumstances that have created a system of states and an ideal of nationalism.
He then examines just how fluid the national scale can be, undergoing processes of augmentation and fragmentation at different periods, as well as different social and geographical boundaries that circumscribe the nation.
Finally, he looks at how the fairly flat geometry of national identity is challenged by identities that cut across nations and transcend separate scales.