Capitalism and Nationalism in the Longue Duree: Global Waves of Nationalism, 1492-2013

• In Event: 330 - Section on Comparative-Historical Sociology Paper Session. Comparative-Historical Perspectives on Nationalism and Ideology

Abstract

This paper brings a new explanation to (1) resurgence of nationalist movements in recent decades, and (2) historical relationship between capitalism and nationalism. Through a reconstruction of existing theories of nationalism and historical capitalism, and an analysis of nationalist movements of the world from 1492 to 2013, this paper shows that incidence of nationalist movements on a world-scale tends to rise during periods of financial expansion and world-hegemonic crisis; and tends to decline during periods of material expansion and world hegemonic consolidation in core and semi-peripheral regions of the world economy. I introduce two new major datasets constructed by the author. The first dataset - State-Seeking Nationalist Movements (SSNM) database - includes articles reporting on state-seeking nationalist activities throughout the world from 1815 to 2013 using international newspapers. The second dataset is compiled from secondary sources and it includes a comprehensive list of revolutionary situations involving state-seeking movements in Western Europe, Eastern Europe, North America and South America from 1492 to 1839. I conduct parametric and nonparametric tests of difference; and use Poisson and negative binomial regression analyses to model the historical trajectory of state-seeking nationalist movements as polynomial functions of time with varying degrees. Findings show that state-seeking nationalist movements have been characterized by a cyclical pattern in core and semi-peripheral regions of the capitalist world economy; and this patterning is related to periods of financialization and world-hegemonic crisis.

Author

• SAHAN SAVAS KARATASLI, JOHNS HOPKINS UNIVERSITY