The core focus of this article by John Dunn is on evaluating the success of nation-states. The author tries to assess the competence and adaptability offered by this framework of governance. The reader of the article will realize that the question mark placed at the end of the title is intended to be rhetorical, implying…
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A collection of high-quality academic essays.
The Civic-Ethnic Distinction: A review of Phillip Spencer and Howard Woolman’s “Good and Bad Nationalisms”
The focus of this reading, written by Phillip Spencer and Howard Woolman, is the distinction between healthy and unhealthy varieties of nationalism that have developed over the course of the last few centuries. The very concept of ‘nation’ is a modern one, having found meaningful expression within the last two hundred years of world history. …
Constructivist Approaches: A review of Benedict Anderson’s article “Imagined Communities”
Benedict Anderson’s essay titled Imagined Communities offers a historically informed analysis of nationalism. He asserts that the rise of nationalism was facilitated by the simultaneous decline of key cultural conceptions of great antiquity, which had erstwhile had a profound effect on humankind. The first of these changes had to do with the role of language…
The Instrumentalist approach to ethnic and national identities: A review of D. Ronen’s ‘The Quest for Self-Determination’
D. Ronen’s scholarly work The Quest for Self-Determination further explicates the nature of ethnic and national identities. In order to illustrate the complexities involved in ethnic and national identities, Ronen constructs a new conceptual framework which he calls “aggregations”. According to this theory, political discourses relating to human communities refer to the latter from one…
Primordialism and Ethnic Conflict: A brief review of Walker Connor’s “Beyond Reason: The Nature of the Ethnonational Bond”
The reading titled “Beyond Reason: The Nature of the Ethnonational Bond”, written by Walker Connor, will provide the contextual background for this think-piece exercise. The central argument of the author is that ethno-national bond is much stronger than patriotic bond. The basis for the formation of ethno-national bonds are never fully based on fact and…
The rationality and irrationality of ethnic violence
Aggressive nationalisms always claim that they are regrettable but rational defensive reactions against perceived external threats; but this claim that aggression is defence, and that aggression is rational, is always (or often?) itself an irrational claim. Explain and comment upon this statement Every ethnic group in the world had faced or initiated aggression against another throughout…
What does a baby need in order to get a good start in life?
Introduction: The early years of a child’s life are very crucial for its proper development into an adult. There are many studies that support the view that the subsequent development of a child is determined by inherent infant personality as well as parental caretaking behaviour. Children who are subject to traumatic past experiences including physical…
How has the American Flag & Disneyland contributed to shaping, defining, challenging, and re-configuring American culture
The American Flag and the Disneyland are two enduring symbols of American culture spanning generations. The American flag is strongly associated with the notions of patriotism and nationalism. The choice of design and color for the flag tells a story in itself. The blue and red colored flag with prominent stripes and stars represent the…
A review of the US housing market crash of 2007-2008 & forecasts for the future
The severe decline in the state of world economy in the last two years is a culmination of several factors. But the bursting of the housing bubble in the United States alongside a precarious credit crunch situation have played major roles in precipitating the latest episode of economic recession in many countries. While the advanced…
With reference to the NMC Professional Code of Conduct (2008) how should a nurse act in order to promote and maintain a client’s dignity?
34 year old Mary White is in your care. She has limited mobility which means that she is unable to walk without assistance. Her chronic and life limiting condition has recently led to a problem with eating and drinking and now Mary is unable to feed herself (although she can take food from a spoon…