ABSTRACT
Nationalism is perceived as both a globalized and a globalizing phenom-
enon. It is one of the components of culture that has been transmitted
around the globe. It might be described as the political doctrine which holds
that humanity can be divided into separate, discrete units or nations, with
each nation constituting a distinct political unit, the state. The claim to
nationhood usually invokes the idea of a group of people with a shared
culture, often a shared language, sometimes a shared religion, and usually,
but not always, a shared history. To this is added the political claim that this
group of people should, by right, rule itself or be ruled by people of the
same kind (see Nation State).