Anti-nationalism denotes the sentiments associated
with an opposition to nationalism.
The imposition of nationalism as a belief
or identity system, particularly when in conflict
with more established and self-sustaining
identity choices, often based on freely chosen
religious or cultural beliefs and practices
can be understood to undermine the legitimacy
of territory-based nationalism.
Various forms of internationalism propose
alternatives.
They do not all necessarily oppose the concepts
of countries, nation states, national boundaries,
cultural preservation, and identity politics;
for example, present-day multilateralism does
not, whereas proletarian internationalism
and various kinds of cosmopolitanism explicitly
do so.
Some anti-nationalists oppose all types of
nationalism, including ethnic nationalism
among oppressed minority groups.
Variations on this theme are often seen in
Marxist theory.
Marx and Engels rejected nationalism as a
whole, stating that, "the working men have
no country".
Many Trotskyists, however, such as Chris Harman,
were critical of nationalism while advocating
support for what they saw as progressive national
struggles.
== Cases ==
Anarchism has developed a critique of nationalism
that focuses on nationalism's role in justifying
and consolidating state power, domination,
and wealth.
Through its unifying goal, nationalism strives
for centralization, both in specific territories
and in a ruling elite of individuals, while
it prepares a population for capitalist exploitation.
Within anarchism, this subject has been treated
extensively by Rudolf Rocker in Nationalism
and Culture and by the works of Fredy Perlman,
such as Against His-Story, Against Leviathan
and The Continuing Appeal of Nationalism.In
his Aphorisms on the Wisdom of Life, Arthur
Schopenhauer rejects nationalism, seeing it
as an abandonment of personal identity.
In his clarifying work, Ecce Homo, Friedrich
Nietzsche unequivocally denounces nationalism
in the strongest terms, describing it as "this
most anti-cultural sickness and unreason there
is, nationalism, this nervose nationale with
which Europe is sick, this perpetuation of
European particularism, of petty politics...a
dead-end street."
Søren Kierkegaard's philosophy is a criticism
and vehement rejection of Christian nationalism.
=== India ===
The charge of being 'anti-national' is common
in India.
Like in the West, there has been a revival
of nationalist sentiment in 21st century India.
This takes the form of non-sectarian Indian
nationalism and also exclusionary Hindu nationalism.
According to G. Sampath in The Hindu, Adivasis
in central India, Dalit students, Left intellectuals,
human rights activists, a certain religious
minority [Islam], anti-nuclear activists,
beef eaters, non-haters of Pakistan, inter-religious
couples, homosexuals, and labour activists
have all been labelled 'anti-national'.
== Notable anti-nationalists ==
== See also
