What makes a nation

A nation is not a casual collection of people, and it differs from other groups:

• A family is based on face-to-face relationships; everyone knows everyone.
• Tribes and clans are linked by marriage and descent, so members can trace their links even if they have not met.
• In a nation, we may never meet most fellow nationals and need not share descent with them. Yet nations exist and are valued.

No common checklist. It is often thought that nations share descent, language, religion or ethnicity. But no single feature is common to all nations: Canada has English- and French-speaking peoples; India has many languages and religions. A nation is to a great extent an 'imagined' community, held together by the collective beliefs, aspirations and imaginations of its members.

Assumptions people make about a nation:

• Shared beliefs. A nation is constituted by belief. It is not a thing like a mountain or river that exists independently of what people think. A nation exists when its members believe they belong together and share a vision of an independent political future.
• History. Nations see themselves as having a continuing historical identity, drawing on collective memories, legends and records. Indian nationalists invoked India's ancient civilisation; Jawaharlal Nehru wrote in *The Discovery of India* that despite outward diversity there was a 'tremendous impress of oneness' holding people together.
• Territory. Living together on a land over time gives a sense of being one people, so nations speak of a homeland (motherland, fatherland, holy land). The Indian nation identifies with the rivers, mountains and regions of the subcontinent. Because more than one people may claim the same land, the desire for a homeland has caused many conflicts.
• Shared political ideals. What distinguishes a nation from other groups is a shared vision of the future and the aspiration to an independent political existence: agreement on values such as democracy, secularism and liberalism. In a democracy, shared commitment to political values is the most desirable basis of a nation, and accepting obligations to fellow citizens is the strongest test of loyalty.

Common political identity, not a single culture. Some want a shared cultural identity (one language, one religion, common descent). A shared language or religion can bring people together, but basing the nation on it threatens democratic values, for two reasons:

• Every major religion is internally diverse, with sects that interpret texts differently; forcing one identity on them could create an authoritarian, oppressive society.
• Most societies are culturally diverse; imposing one religion or language as a condition of belonging would exclude some groups and limit their liberty and equal treatment.
• So democracies should imagine the nation in political terms, expecting loyalty to the values enshrined in the Constitution, not to a particular religion, race or language.
• Example (new): a person who votes, pays taxes, obeys the law and respects fellow citizens' rights is showing loyalty to the nation, whether or not they cheer loudly at a match.