Cultural nationalism can smuggle in obscurantism merely by inverting the traditionmodernity binary

Evidence

Used in relation to the equally problematic category of ‘Third World’, ‘cultural nationalism’ resonates equally frequently with ‘tradition’, simply inverting the traditionlmodernity binary of the modernization theorists in an indigenist direction, so that ‘tradition’ is said to be, for the ‘Third World’, always better than ‘modernity’, which then opens up a space for defence of the most obscurantist positions in the name of cultural nationalism. — Aijaz Ahmad, In Theory, 49

Categorization

• XREF: Directly serves the reader’s project: this is a materialist critique of discourse-first, essentializing identity politics parallel to Ahmad’s critique of strategic essentialism as a mystifying move. — connects to: Idealizing a past by stripping its material basis persists as cultural nationalism — Aijaz Ahmad, In Theory: Nations, Classes, Literatures, 472; Cultural nationalism assumes speaking from one’s own tradition is anti-imperialist resistance — Aijaz Ahmad, In Theory: Nations, Classes, Literatures, 19; Nationalism lacks fixed essence; its value depends on who wields it — Aijaz Ahmad, In Theory: Classes, Nations, Literatures, 395 (+4 more)

Broader Connections

• Idealizing a past by stripping its material basis persists as cultural nationalism #corroborates (0.78) — Aijaz Ahmad, In Theory, 472
• Cultural nationalism assumes speaking from one’s own tradition is anti-imperialist resistance #expands (0.75) — Aijaz Ahmad, In Theory, 19
• Nationalism constitutes a totalizing epistemology no modern subject can escape #qualifies (0.74) — Wael Hallaq, Restating Orientalism, 201
• Nationalism lacks fixed essence; its value depends on who wields it #expands (0.72) — Aijaz Ahmad, In Theory, 395