ABSTRACT
Nationalism is a modern phenomenon which, as a concept and as a principle, emerged gradually in western Europe. Though it was theoretically formulated in revolutionary France,1 it took different forms in Europe after the Napoleonic wars and gradually spread to different parts of the world taking different hues during different stages of history. Elie Kedourie is of the view that the doctrine of nationalism was invented in Europe and exported to the rest of the world2 and thus became a world phenomenon. Since the French Revolution, nationalism, as an ideology along with socialism, has been central to all political discussions.3 Many scholars have attempted to define this new phenomenon with different interpretations, and a vast literature has come out on the study of nationalism.4
