Survivor!

Rob Schaap rws at comedu.canberra.edu.au
Wed Oct 25 01:30:22 PDT 2000


G'day Cath,

the five-year-old has ordered me home for story duty, so a real quicky ...


>...There are sound
>>reasons in Australia for a certain expression of nationalism -
>
>what would these be?

Insofar as every nationalism constitutes a self-definitive commitment to a set of ideas (above and beyond the acceptance of 'nation' as idea and salient identity) and a consciously determined attitude, it can contribute to a more qualified process of globalisation (eg. which, in our case, might make for maintaining some diversity in cultural production, a rejuvenated health'n'education debate, a reassessment of the state/market debate, and, importantly, nice loud crowds at international footy matches). Sure, that ain't much progress - but it's a stabilising defence and a healthily irksome presence in the age of the prime hegemonic unit of analysis: world-and-humanity-as-finance.


>certainly not -- but i still don't see why we want nationalism at all
>why it's not something to be (yes even anxiously) avoided

Use and build on what ya got, I reckon ... risky, but at least it gives you a point of departure.

Cheers, Rob.



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