Nationalists conjure threats to stay politically relevant after their enemy is defeated
Evidence
The nationalists need to conjure up a threat against Sinhalese Buddhist society to stay relevant. The Muslims’ relative insularity and selfsegregation, their livelihoods rooted in business and trading, slight rise in population, and conspicuous piety that is now manifested through Arab attire like the burqa2 and thobe3 and the proliferation of mosques have especially allowed nationalists to portray Muslims as a challenge to Sinhalese Buddhist civilization and dominance. — Nadim N. Rouhana and Nadera Shalhoub-Kevorkian, When Politics Are Sacralized, 1369
Categorization
- XREF: connects to: Removing a named external threat intensifies rather than softens dominant-group nationalism. — Nadim N. Rouhana and Nadera Shalhoub-Kevorkian, When Politics Are Sacralized:…, 1391; The nationalist ideology needs a manufactured enemy to mobilize — Neil DeVotta, Sinhalese Buddhist Nationalist…, 303; When one manufactured enemy faded, nationalism simply found a new target form — John Higham, Strangers in the Land: Patterns of…, 1398 (+2 more)
Broader Connections
- When one manufactured enemy faded, nationalism simply found a new target form
#exemplifies(0.95) — John Higham, Strangers in the Land, 1398 - The nationalist ideology needs a manufactured enemy to mobilize
#expands(0.92) — Neil DeVotta, Sinhalese Buddhist Nationalist Ideology, 303 - White nationalists fear converts through distinct gendered threat narratives
#exemplifies(0.85) — Margaret Hodson, Baby Jihad, 35