Nation State and Ethnic Diversity

With the processes of globalization, we are more than ever confronted with the paradoxes inherent in modern statehood. The characteristics of modern statehood are: (1) securing freedom from feudal oppression or despotism, (2) legislating for equality among citizens, (3) focusing on inclusion to incorporate the previously excluded into the system and finally (4), of the utmost importance, establishing the principle of individualism as a primary goal. The social construct of ethnicity gives rise to a second paradox. It develops as a material force if and when it grips the masses. Logically, any such construct as ethnicity is exclusive to the extent on which it depends on otherness. The erection of hegemonic structures to deal with these issues and also with the confrontation of shifting borders is at the core of this book.