Compare and Contrast thh concepts of Civic and Ethnic Nationalism

Nationalism is ostensibly a term which covers such elements as national consciousness, the expression of national identity and loyalty to the nation - ‘nation’ itself being defined by Timothy Bancroft as:

“…a group of people identified as sharing any number of perceived or real characteristics – such as common ancestry, language, religion, culture, historical traditions and shared territory – the members of which can identify themselves and others as belonging to the group, united through some form of organisation, most often political.”

Bancroft, Timothy. Nationalism in Europe: 1789-1945. Cambridge University Press, 1999. p3

This essay will briefly examine the concept of civic and ethnic nationalism, attempting to highlight some of the contrasting aspects while, at the same time, examining connections between the two ideologies as each strives for the establishment, retention or advancement of a nation state.

Civic nationalism is generally seen to be exercis...