Europe today is at a crossroads. Europeans in search for belonging often find themselves with no other choice but to embrace their supposed ethnic group as an anchor in uncertain times. Indeed, we have come to take it for granted that people belong to a nation by virtue of sharing a common language. Common biological heritage as indicated by language appears to be a safe haven for those in need of community. However, history shows us that the concept of “the nation” has existed for millennia before language assumed the decisive role now attributed to it. Indeed, there are other shared characteristics that have more successfully served as the foundation of common identity and nationhood.
The formation of common identities has firmly been entrenched in human nature by hundreds of thousands of years of hominid evolution. Membership of a larger group increased chances of survival at a time before legal systems dominated the face of the planet. At the most basic level, group membership can be based on genetics. The family has been recognized as the “natural” object of individuals’ loyalty since Aristotle’s time, and it has clearly maintained its essential role in modern society. Before the emergence of large bureaucracy driven states, the tribe or clan was the foremost entity to which people owed their allegiance. In a way, the nationalism of 19th century Europe harks back to this seemingly straightforward notion of group identity based on common genetic heritage. Like its primordial predecessor, this type of nationalism, let us call it “ethno-nationalism”, it is based on immutable fact. Individuals cannot choose which genetic or linguistic group they are born into. They are considered members of a nation simply by being born into it. This all sounds simple enough, and the concept’s survival and widespread acceptance indicates its intuitive persuasiveness. However, ethno-nationalism has one core problem: It distorts reality to make it fit its requirements. It suggests a clear-cut answer where in reality a nuanced set of questions requires a nuanced response. People have in reality migrated and intermarried with foreign individuals since the dawn of time, and even linguistic distinctions are not as straightforward as ethno-nationalism implies. Accents and regional dialects do not fit into the neat identities that it seeks to create. And yes, “create” is the correct term, since historically the foundation of nation states has generally been followed by attempts to homogenize the language and cultural practices of people within the state’s territory. Homogenous peoples were needed to fit the ethno-nationalist narrative. The unfortunate loser of this process was Europe’s cultural diversity. Forced to comply with this ideology, people were either in or out, allies or enemies, equals or inferiors. The single-minded focus on ethnicity has led Europe down a path of tears and terror. We must do our utmost to overcome this dangerous obsession. We must find ways to mitigate the harmful excesses of group identity while harnessing its creative potential. If ethno-nationalism is based on a fiction, which other characteristics can provide us with a viable substitute?
Ethno-nationalism’s well-known excesses seem to have been the consequences of the simplistic worldview it breeds. The classification of people into categories that are both one-dimensional and rigid appears bound to produce strife and injustice. Systematically punishing people for a crime that they had no choice but to commit is the most dystopian of actions. In contrast to their genes or their native language, people do have a choice in the set of values they espouse. The fact that ideas are at least as powerful as genetic ties is evidenced by the countless violent and non-violent ideological waves that have swept over Europe in the past century alone. A non-dogmatic look at history will reveal that values have been at the core of group identity for thousands of years. The Roman Empire, that most famous of ancient super powers, expanded by force of arms and subjugated a large number of “barbarian” peoples from Britannia to Aegyptus. Wherever Rome’s legions marched, Rome’s values followed, and as time passed the barbarians of old came to identify themselves as Romans. They hadn’t given up their ancient practices and often maintained their local religions (which they practiced in temples subsidized by the Roman administration), but instead enriched Roman culture and enabled Rome to attain the position it now holds in the annals of history. Rulers ever since have turned back to the Imperium Romanum in search for legitimacy and aspired to imitate its greatness. Rome’s strength was its flexibility, and this attribute was a direct consequence of its reliance on the unifying power of common values and ideas. The sense of identity attached to the term “Roman” was so strong that it could even be detached from its geographical origin. When the western part of the Roman Empire fell with the city itself, the eastern half continued existing for another thousand years, all the while identifying itself as Roman. What we can learn from this incredible success story is that there is a way to create group identity without violent coercion or reliance on immutable fact. That way is the identification and promotion of common values. This recognition makes it essential to ask ourselves what these common values are.
The challenge we face today is that although a European value-based identity does exist, the concept of ethno-nationalism still predominates in most people’s minds. It is necessary for the peace and prosperity of Europe to strengthen the former, but backwards voices, dead set on painting the value based European identity as the mortal enemy of the nation state remain a formidable threat. It is the challenge of our generation to create a powerful counternarrative. If we want to honour the memory of the 20th century and flourish in the 21st, we need to foster a distinctly European “value nationalism” that enriches and strengthens the cultures that form part of it.
Sebastian Schnorrenberg
European London 