Emotions and Nationalism

Emotions are central for nationalisms, but the relationship of the two has only recently received more attention in research. The chapter focuses on the ‘feeling of belonging’ and the ‘love of nation’ in Europe and North America from nineteenth century onwards. The selection of themes includes belonging and continuity (religion, war, family, ethnonationalism), romanticism and culture (linguistic culture, landscape), national symbols (objects, events, figures), and politics and democratisation (citizenship, education, media, class). The chapter argues that emotions form the relation between the individual and the nation, and that nationalisms tapped into and molded existing emotional formations in seeking popularity and political power. However, the construction of the national ‘us’ means that both internal and external ‘others’ are excluded.