Nations have a historical and cultural heritage that defines them.
Nation is a concept that has its origin in the Latin word nātio , which in turn derives from nāscor (a notion that, in Spanish, means "to be born" ). This Latin word is used as a synonym for "birth" and "people" , but it is also used to refer to "species" and "class" .
In this sense, we have to determine that, when using the term nation, we can be referring both to the territory of a specific country and to the population of this territory that is under the protection of the same system of government and certain laws.
Emergence of the term nation
It is also necessary to emphasize that the meaning we give to this noun today has its antecedents in the 18th century, since that is when the definitive transition from the Ancien Régime to the Contemporary Age took place. And the work carried out by enlightened thinkers contributed in a solid and consistent way to this.
In this way, an example that could help us to express what is specified is the following: "Spain is a nation that currently presents itself as a parliamentary monarchy where democracy is the base." A sentence to which we could also add this phrase: "Javier said he felt very proud of the nation to which he belongs."
It is common for nations to defend their political autonomy.
Current representations
The concept of nation, at present, has two representations: one that is approached from a political perspective, which is based on legal and political criteria and speaks about the sovereignty that governs within a certain State , delimited by specific borders; and another that describes a cultural nation, a socio-ideological notion of a more ambiguous spirit and greater subjectivity that describes a human group where certain common cultural aspects are shared. In any case, in everyday language the word nation is used as a synonym for country , territory , people and State , for example.
It is important to note that the cultural conception of a nation indicates that its members are aware that they are part of an ethical-political body that is distinct from others, since they share, among other traits, ethnicity , language , religion , tradition , currency or common history . This is how the idea of homeland also arises.
Globalization causes the identity of each nation to become diluted.
Nation and nationalism
Based on these arguments, for example, we can show how all of this is reflected in the identity of a country like Spain . Thus, its citizens have Castilian as their official language, which is established in the Constitution as something that everyone has the duty to know and the right to use. Other languages, such as Basque, Catalan and Galician, are co-official at the national level and official in certain autonomous communities.
In this sense, the concept of nationalism is closely related. It defines, among other meanings, the political and ideological tendency to establish that a specific territory is the only one that should be accepted as a reference for identity. However, within this generalized definition many types of nationalism could be included, such as, for example, integrative and centrifugal or disintegrative ones.
When a state recognizes itself in a concrete way as the home of a particular cultural nation, we speak of the existence of a nation-state . There are states which, despite the disputes and contradictions that this definition implies, attempt to legitimize themselves in this way.
It should be noted that national identity is a collective construction that is generally promoted and reinforced by the State. Each national symbol, such as the flag , the coat of arms and the anthem , is used by state authorities to promote social cohesion.
The national values of a society thus merge with its cultural identity. It should be noted that the integration of citizens of a nation contributes to peace within the nation.
Beyond the State
There are also cultural nations that try to define themselves solely on the basis of ethnicity or race. This fact leads to the existence of numerous nations that lack their own territory , such as the Gypsy nation, which shows that a cultural nation does not always form an independent State and that the latter is not always understood as part of a cultural nation.
There are even nations that, over the years, manage to form their own State, as in the case of the Jewish people, who constituted a cultural nation without their own State until 1948 .
Relations between nations
International relations are often complex. Each nation-state links with the others through diplomacy, having a consul or ambassador in foreign territories who represents its government .
However, diplomacy and embassies are sometimes not enough to prevent conflict. When confrontations escalate, war can break out.
Even armed conflicts are magnified if, through a treaty or alliance, more countries intervene. The UN (United Nations Organization) , in this framework, is a supranational entity whose mission is to preserve harmony at a global level, contributing to the understanding of peoples.