The Meaning of Nation

and its Attributes[1]

In the talk we presented at the event hosted by "Al-Urwa Al-Wuthqa" at the American University of Beirut (which was featured in the inaugural issue of this publication), we briefly explored the concept of nation. The vastness of the topic and space constraints prevented us from delving deeper at that time.

The concepts of nation and nationalism are relatively new in the intellectual sphere of the Near East, specifically within the Syrian Nation. As a result, we opted to conduct a more thorough and in-depth investigation into the definition of nation and its attributes, which stem from the ongoing interplay between a nation's material and spiritual foundations.

The essence of nation is shaped by its material composition and spiritual existence. Our comprehensive definition of nation, as outlined in this study, was developed through extensive research and discussion on highly debated and sensitive matters. These topics will be meticulously examined to help readers comprehend why this definition was chosen over other prevalent unscientific opinions surrounding the idea of nation in our environment.

It's important to note that the definition provided in this study is not singular; numerous social scientists have proposed various sector-specific definitions as well. Some of these definitions will be explored further in this text.

The Material Base and the Spiritual Superstructure

A nation is established upon a material foundation that supports its spiritual characteristics. Each nation consists of two essential elements: the human component (which includes its population and their diverse backgrounds) and the natural component (which comprises the geographical landscape, atmosphere, and natural resources). These vital aspects give rise to the nation's spiritual attributes and distinguish it from others.

Despite this, some scholars and general public mistakenly assume that nations are primarily separated by race or lineage. This belief is incorrect, as ancestry varies among human races. Instead, nations are differentiated by their distinct spiritual qualities, ways of living, and societal customs, all of which originate from the intellectual efforts and evolution of human thought. The character of a nation is primarily shaped by its people and their chosen professions.

Therefore, a population inhabiting a particular region as a nation with an advanced social and urban existence can be viewed from two perspectives: (1) whether they are abundant or scarce in number and distribution, and (2) the types of occupations they engage in. The importance of the second perspective lies in the idea that people living within a specific area vary in concentration depending on their profession. For example, those who work as cattle breeders have a different average population density compared to those working in agriculture or industry.

Regarding the nation's spiritual aspects, although they are anchored to the material foundation, they emerge from interactions between the intelligence of its citizens and their ability to establish logical connections through legislation, laws, social customs, language, literature, and education. Legislation and laws build bonds that strengthen political and legal systems; these systems then regulate social activities while representing broad concepts related to societal organization. Furthermore, national unity is showcased through social traditions.

Language – specifically written literature – reflects a nation's appreciation for beauty and its closeness to truth. Simultaneously, language influences the nation by actively promoting its inherent disposition and forming the national character. Education plays a crucial role in cultivating the minds of the nation's inhabitants, unifying them in the process. Its purpose extends beyond merely instilling knowledge to also inspiring ethical values that aim for shared and elevated ideals in life.

Consequently, legislation, laws, social customs, language, literature, and education make up the spiritual framework a nation builds upon its material base. This foundation consists of a blend of various human elements residing in the nation, along with the natural environment and its attributes. This concise introduction serves as a groundwork for the forthcoming analysis regarding the relationship between each component and the concept of a nation.

Nation and Lineage

Upon examining the literature on nationalism in our media and books, it becomes evident that numerous individuals grappling with this topic lack familiarity with contemporary scientific approaches. Consequently, they commit errors that misguide the nation's judgment. One such mistake involves confusing the concepts of race, lineage, and nation. Additionally, they mistakenly believed that history was the sole reference for determining a nation's "origin" and "lineage", overly relying on historical accounts. Thus, they concluded that nations can be traced back to specific "origins" based on the outdated theory: families form clans, clans form tribes, and tribes establish nations and states.

This theory is utterly baseless since not all current nations can be traced back to particular tribes. A nation does not consist of a single race or racial group. The irrefutable truth is that each nation comprises multiple racial origins - a blend of various human races. Regrettably, some authors continued to adhere to the ideas of long-past scholars and believed that preserving racial purity was crucial for maintaining national characteristics. As a result, they emulated Western societies who constantly competed in boasting about their racial origins (e.g., the "Anglo-Saxon" race, the "German race," the "Franks," etc.). Modern scholars like H.G. Wells and others dismiss such pretentious claims after familiarizing themselves with the research conducted by ethnologists, genealogists, biologists, and zoologists who restrict racial differences to innate qualities.

Race represents a physical reality characterized by features such as height, build, and skin color. If we accept this zoological fact, we must acknowledge that every nation comprises a mixture of different races like the dolichocephalic race and those with elongated heads. These races further categorize into two groups: (1) tall individuals with light complexions and (2) shorter individuals with darker complexions. Furthermore, no nation lacks traces of past racial groups that have passed through its history. France, for instance, is one of the most racially diverse nations. Therefore, it is baseless for scholars like William McDougall to claim that blending races within a nation eventually generates a superior hybrid subrace. However, Barker presents a more persuasive argument by stating that race is merely a physical reality distinguishable by its external features. In truth, it is difficult to identify any physical traits separating the French from the British. Instead, both countries host various racial groups retaining some of their physical forms. Even assuming it is possible to eliminate racial differences through blending, this process would take far longer than the time elapsed since European nations emerged. Thus, we must abandon the notion of national physiological unity as it is widely regarded among scientists as an erroneous and scientifically invalid idea.

In essence, a nation is not a blood-physiological entity but rather a conceptual psychological construct. Race and nationality are distinct entities - race being an overarching physiological characteristic while nationality represents a psychological state of contentment. While race constitutes a natural and prehistoric fact, nationality develops over time as an artificial amalgamation shaped by human emotions, thoughts, and intentions. The term "artificial" does not diminish its significance but denotes that it is a spiritual concept that does not inherently exist in our blood composition. It emerges gradually through time and human efforts. Hence, regardless of what legends recount concerning blood unity and origins, the essence of nationality lies within the nation's collective "spirit," thoughts, and feelings—it cannot be found in cranial shapes or blood types.

Renan wrote:

A nation is a soul, a spiritual principle. Two things, which in truth are but one, constitute this soul or spiritual principle. One lies in the past, one in the present. One is the possession in common of a rich legacy of memories; the other is present- day consent, the desire to live together, the will to perpetuate the value of the heritage that one has received in an undivided form.

In Arabic, the term "nation" (Umma) holds a linguistic meaning that doesn't encompass the racial implications present in the word "nation" derived from the Latin natio (nātĭō), which translates to "that which is born." Dictionaries define the term "nation" as a group of individuals, irrespective of their ancestry or lineage.

Nation and Land

Up until now, we have presented a general overview of the connection between a nation and its race or ancestry. We will delve deeper into this connection when we scrutinize nationalism and nation issues in Syria in the final part of our extensive research. We have utilized Barker's categorization of a nation into a physical foundation and an intangible structure as our frame of reference. Having discussed race as an element of the physical foundation, we shall now explore the other component: the land or the territory.

Although it may be feasible to distinguish between a nation and a state under specific instances and timeframes, it is not feasible to dissociate a nation from its land. Throughout history, there have been numerous cases where nations lost their sovereignty, submitting to foreign control (such as Syria and Poland before World War I), but they continued to exist without relinquishing their national identity. However, there has never been an occurrence (and it is improbable to occur) where a nation can lose the land that sustains its existence and survival while maintaining its identity. The requirement for land in a nation is akin to an individual's necessity for shelter.

As a result, Jewish nationalism lacks validity. The arguments that Jewish authors present in an effort to validate the Zionist movement are baseless. Jews are neither a nation nor a race; they are nothing more, nothing less. In reality, for something to qualify as a nation, it must possess its own homeland to inhabit, create its own culture upon it, and foster its own traditions and values. As Ernest Barker has observed:

If I had to put the rule for the rise of nations, I would have said: first take a known land and add to it some kind of system (or a state) which unites the inhabitants, and, if there is no language, allow a language to grow until it spreads throughout the nation, then allow some beliefs and worships to unite the people’s spirits; finally, the nation gets prepared in the melting pot of time and the ferment of centuries.

In essence, a nation's existence is heavily reliant on its homeland. The land, in fact, plays a vital role in giving nation distinct qualities that set it apart from others. Without the influence of the land's nature and geography, the number of nations today would be significantly less. Take Portugal as an example - a country sharing similarities with Spain and having been united with it for over fifty years. Those who study Portugal's history will find that its distinct nationalism emerged primarily due to its unique natural terrain. The geographical separation from Spain, marked by treacherous mountains, valleys and unnavigable rivers, contributed to the development of an independent Portuguese identity.

MacIver remarked: [PLEASE SKIP the ITALIZED PASSAGES BELOW]

The people of Gaul, who are new units issued from the unending custom of social combination are proud of their type and race. Nonetheless, this type of pride is used to express the self-group’s love as opposed to the other groups. Their faithfulness to themselves is not issued from their race but rather from the place, the habit, the tradition, the authority and from their division on account of those factors.

Territory and common life, therefore, are the two complementary requisites of nationhood and the development of nationalism. Of the two, territory was the more important factor to me in the rise of nationalism among peoples, which started during the age of conquests. Thus, MacIver poses the question how we can connect the old Greek nations “Dorians” and others with the Hellenists or the Greeks who had the city named after them during the classical eras and whose name indicated a religion during the Christian era and indicates today a small nation. In a similar vein, René Johannet quotes Bossuyh (???) as saying that it has been determined that living in a single country and sharing a common language has served as a strong motive for consolidating the bond between the people.

Language and Nation

In a different instance, Bossuyh stated that the connection among individuals is based on words, highlighting the link between language, a nation, and its traits. We previously discussed that race does not define a nation, so could it be defined by language? Is it possible to classify nations by their languages, considering every community with a shared language as a separate nation? The answer to both questions is undoubtedly no. A single nation can have people speaking multiple languages, as seen in Switzerland, where citizens share a common life but speak three different languages. Similarly, Belgium has two languages. On the other hand, numerous nations globally use the same language, such as English, Spanish, or Arabic-speaking countries.

At times, historical movements based on linguistic unity like the "German unity movement" or the "Slavic unity movement" emerge, but they cannot be considered purely nationalist movements. Establishing language as the basis of national identity is challenging because national traditions hold greater significance in national life. However, there is a substantial connection between language and nation since language serves as the means of expression for thoughts and emotions that generate national traditions. Without language, it's nearly impossible for a person to understand a nation's core spirit and intellect.

It's accurate to say that using Greek in religious teaching and explanations infused various Greek aspects into Christianity. In some cases, nations might need to revive an extinct language to reinforce their national identity, like Ireland. However, this isn't always essential. René Johannet noted that after uniting with Britain, Irish Liberator Daniel O'Connell abandoned the native language as it held little value for politicians in Westminster or Irish immigrants in America. This choice could reflect the decision of the Irish people in case of separation from Britain.

People sharing a common language don't necessarily form one nation automatically; policies presuming this will be unsuccessful. Nonetheless, those who make up a nation often prefer speaking one shared language in pursuit of spiritual unity. In this regard, language is fundamental for a nation's unity.