The European Union includes different "Nation states". It has been possible because the idea of "nations" and "states" has entered into decline. We need to know where both ideas came from. Why they became important and if they are still valid to face the XXIst century World.
This week we shall start with the origins of "nations", a very complex concept as it has many different meanings. Please consider, for instance, the difference between "nation" and "nationalism". This last term is today playing an important role in our World. As show Independentists movements all over Europe: in the UK, in Belgium, in Spain, in Hungary and Poland, in Italy and even Germany. Nationalism is jeopardizing European integration, and it is important to understand why.
Lets bring only one example. National pride has a lot to do with the origin of Brexit, as a majority of British Citizens look straight backwards into the idea of their glorious imperial past and that feeling of National pride has prevailed over economic considerations. This is a good point for starting your reflection on nations and nationalisms as opposed to the idea of curtailing national sovereignty that implies European integration. Heart and brain still move often in opposite directions.
This week we shall start with the origins of "nations", a very complex concept as it has many different meanings. Please consider, for instance, the difference between "nation" and "nationalism". This last term is today playing an important role in our World. As show Independentists movements all over Europe: in the UK, in Belgium, in Spain, in Hungary and Poland, in Italy and even Germany. Nationalism is jeopardizing European integration, and it is important to understand why.
Lets bring only one example. National pride has a lot to do with the origin of Brexit, as a majority of British Citizens look straight backwards into the idea of their glorious imperial past and that feeling of National pride has prevailed over economic considerations. This is a good point for starting your reflection on nations and nationalisms as opposed to the idea of curtailing national sovereignty that implies European integration. Heart and brain still move often in opposite directions.
EXERCISING:
You should start reading pages 7 to 12, and try to answer the questions of pages 14 and 15. Do it by handwriting in your Class Notebook.
Concerning the dates of page 13: the most important ones are: 378, 382, 395, 476 496 and 590-604, as they are crucial to our history. Read carefully as well the other ones.
Read quietly as well the footnotes. Specially 7, 8 and 10.
On the other hand I would like you to start your readings about education. In order to make you think about what is the use of you sitting in the university benches. I would recommend you to read the opening text of Nietzsche in page 3, about the sense of studying history. And then get to the first part of the Text of Abraham Flexner "The Usefulness of Useless Knowledge" in pages 320-321.
Be ready to discuss all this in class.
Finally we will watch a TED by Yuval Noah Harari in which he explains simply why the "Sapiens" we have ended up dominating the World. Nations and Nationalism have played an important part on this process. We are going to see why.
