Hi everyone
On this week’ socio-logic featured on FBI Radio, we covered two incredibly important and relevant topics.
Australia Day and nationalism
The first was nationalism and Australia Day. Over the last 15 years, mainly driven by the previous Howard Government, we have seen increasingly prominent displays of nationalism. This has been as evident at schools as it has been at events such as the Big Day Out. The new ‘Australia Day uniform’ seems to include the Australian flag as a cape.
I am not one to portray a great deal of nationalism – I prefer more subtle that outlandish displays.
Saying that, I do think it is important to acknowledge the history and show pride of one’s country – both the positive and negative aspects. In Australia, the positive aspects such a long tradition of democratic values is something we should celebrate. We should also acknowledge the dark parts of our history, such as the Aboriginal Stolen Generation, so we can repair the mistakes and ensure they are not repeated.
While there are many definitions of ‘nationalism’, it essentially refers to pride and devotion to the interests or culture of one's nation. This does not mean ‘blind’ or ‘absolute’ devotion – simply that someone feels a connection.
I believe that nationalism is a double edged sword. On the positive side, it involves helping others in our community no matter their background, acknowledging our national mistakes and ensuring that our nation plays a key and positive role in international affairs. This is an inclusive nationalism – we are proud to be Australian but not at the expense of other people or cultures.
One author who takes this position is Tim Soutphommasane. His recent book on ‘Reclaiming Nationalism’ discusses a progressive nationalism in detail. I really enjoyed it and recommend you read it if you want to know more about this aspect of nationalism.
The dark side of nationalism is exclusionary: where we see ourselves as better than others and other cultures as inferior. This is the nationalism that is aggressive and was one of the reasons for the Cronulla Riots a few years ago. Negative nationalism can be violent and includes slogans such as ‘f#%k off we’re full.’
John Burmingham wrote about this type of nationalism the other day. It is a great article and worth a read.
Haiti earthquake and the international response
The second topic this week was the Haiti earthquake and the international response. Before continuing, it is important to acknowledge the great work being done in Haiti by some excellent organisations including Oxfam (who I work with), MSF and the Red Cross.
The problem with aid and humanitarian work is that it is as much about politics as it is about helping others. This is a point that organisations such as Aid/Watch raise frequently: noting that the aid project is as much about ‘pursuing our national interest’ as it is about poverty relief. Such twin objectives are reflected by other governments also, which means that the relief effort in Haiti has been as much about certain nations and organisation advertising themselves as it has been about emergency relief.
Naomi Klein talks about this in some detail in her blog and is certainly worth a read.
It is a tragedy that this is occurring – and something that we should demand our governments change: aid should be about sustainable poverty relief and should not about Australia’s national interest. Contact Aid/Watch for more information (and please note, I work with these guys also).
Contact me at askjames@fbiradio.com if you have any questions.
Cheers, james
