Todd Sandel's Blog from Macau

While reading on the topic of national identity, I came across a reference to a passage from the American anthropologist, Clifford Geertz. The passage comes from Geertz's well-known book, a collection of his writings, published in 1973,  The Interpretation of Cultures . In Chapter 10, titled, " The Integrative revolution: Primordial sentiments and civil politics in the new states ,"  Geertz reflects on the problems faced by newly emergent nations that seek to form a civil society. That is, in the 1960s and 1970s, as colonial rule came to an end across Africa and Asia, what ties can hold these nations together? Now that the external force of colonial government is lifted, will nations violently split apart, like India and Pakistan at the time of partition? How can people who speak different languages, follow different religions, have different kinship and tribal allegiances, build a nation that with a common, peaceful purpose? In other words, Geertz is asking if the Americ