8.2 Discussion

Nation and Territory

The Bund, Shanghai in 1930. Source.

Today

  1. Explore the political geography of nationalism and state-building, focusing on early 20th century political movements.
  2. Reflect on the relationship between nation and territory, and the role that the Chinese state played in producing a modern nation to correspond with a modern sovereign territory.

Reading

Fitzgerald (1995)

Key concepts

  • state
  • nation
  • stateless nation
  • nationless state

State and nation

Let’s review where we left off on Tuesday.

Boardwork from 8.1

Boardwork from 8.1

Assess Fitzgerald’s ARG

Synthesis Report

Julia G.

Nation a state-building movements

In your group, summarize the key details of the three major state-building movements that Fitzgerald discusses. Refer to pages Fitzgerald (1995), 87–90, and prepare to explain your case to the class.

  • citizen (Group 1)
  • race (Group 2)
  • class (Group 3)

Wrap up

  • University Midterm Progress Reports
    • submitted tomorrow: “Satisfactory” unless there’s a “Concern about Progress” (usually about engagement, but could reflect work that needs revision/improvement)

For next class

We turn to the role of cartography and emotion in nation next week. Be sure to pay close attention to the introductory section and the conclusion in Callahan (2009) to identify the PS and ARG, and to explain the relationship between national maps and a national “geobody.”

References

Callahan, William A. 2009. “The Cartography of National Humiliation and the Emergence of China’s Geobody.” Public Culture 21 (1): 141–73.
Fitzgerald, John. 1995. “The Nationless State: The Search for a Nation in Modern Chinese Nationalism.” The Australian Journal of Chinese Affairs 33 (1995): 74–104.