Nationalism functions as a world religion marked by quarreling sects

Evidence

To insist that nationalism should be seen as religion, or even as having been “shaped” by religion is, in my view, to miss the nature and consequence of the revolution brought about by modern doctrines and practices of the secular in the structure of collective representations. Of course modern nationalism draws on preexisting languages and practices—including those that we call, anachronistically, “religious.” How could it be otherwise? Yet it doesn’t follow from this that religion forms nationalism. — Talal Asad, Formations of the Secular, 946 (#complicates, via linked claim)

Categorization

• XREF: connects to: Christian nationalism functions as a power grab disguised in religious language, not genuine piety — Andrew L. Whitehead; Samuel L. Perry, Taking America Back for God, 455; Fusing religion with nationalism amplifies collective violence and self-sacrifice. — Nadim N. Rouhana and Nadera Shalhoub-Kevorkian, When Politics Are Sacralized:…, 138; Nationalism can overtake faith as a worldview while inheriting its exclusivity — Nadim N. Rouhana and Nadera Shalhoub-Kevorkian, When Politics Are Sacralized:…, 170 (+4 more)

Broader Connections

• Nationalism’s borrowings from religion do not make religion its source #complicates (0.78) — Talal Asad, Formations of the Secular, 946