Nationalalism identity

Topic: Nationalism Identity d March 18, 2008 A nation is a group of self-defined cultural and social community. Nationhood is both ethically and philosophically , the starting point for theideology of nationalism. Common identity is shared by members of a nation, they have common origin, ancestry, parentage and decent. Nations extend across generations . They usually , feel pride in their past, present and future. In the present days of globalization, language and education have become the basic determinants of national identity.

The developed nations of the world that are proud to command 80% of the global resources and are the driving force behind the globalization as a process, are still bent upon keeping themselves under the banners of their national identities. The United States of America boasts as sole superpower of the world also identifies their self with all prides of national identity.

The British and Western Europeans are not lagging behind in their race for clinching to their national identities. Amongst Europeans the British nation didn’t join the single currency rope of Euro in 2000. While French, German, Dutch, Spanish Portuguese, and Italians adamantly claim to be superior primitive European nations in their own way. They never compromise on the labels of their languages and still find themselves proud of their respective languages. Their language is their own medium of education in all sought of manifestations. Exactly same is the case with Japanese as a nation and language.
The Spanish, Italian, French and Dutch languages find themselves rich in art, architecture, literature, medicines and technologies. So it cannot be safely said that English language, both British and American versus other Europeans languages are competent at par with each other as a medium of instruction and education in all manners of past, present and future.
While coming to Asia and Middle East, the fast developing nations like Malaysians, Koreans, and Chinese are not at all oblivious to the facts mentioned in case of America, Europeans and Japanese. The Malaysians, Chinese and Koreans at the level of their top leadership, both diplomatic and political level adhere to the respective languages even at the highest moots at international level. These countries have successfully developed the software in information technologies. They have not only developed their aboriginal text in their respective languages but have also got lot of original English, Dutch, Spanish, Turkish and Arabic works translated in their own languages. These are the nations who have successfully proved that the easiest way of advancement under the age of globalization lies in adhering to their own languages as a medium of instructions.
It can be concluded that the language as medium of instructions diplomacy and international trade have proved to a major source and factor of all the developed and developing countries in the world. So the role of language and education can neither be under estimated nor ignored while reckoning the national identity as a matter of pride for the particular nation in age of globalization as seen today