Nationalism refers to a sense of national consciousness present among the people of the state with a strong emphasis on the promotion of the state’s culture & interests as opposed to those of other groups. The need for autonomy rises from the feeling of nationalism.
Nationalism as a concept has been used for a variety of purposes. But before we explore that, let us study how the concept regained relevance in contemporary Western thinking. The French Revolution of 1789 led to the rise in the concept of Nationalism across the world. Various countries following the French Revolution started initiating movements for liberation and freedom. In the era before the 19th century, many countries across the world were subject to colonisation by various countries.
Another aspect is the form of rule that was followed in the same era. The major forms of governance remained monarchy and dictatorship, both forms of rule that did not provide majority rights to the people and freedom to the people of the country. These monarchical and dictatorial rules, over time, were found to be more autocratic. This environment led to a strong feeling of nationalism across many countries. The sense of nationalism in Europe was fuelled by the need to preserve their ethnic diversity and cultural identity. It can be understood as another form of majoritarianism. This form of nationalism does not recognise the presence of the co-existence of multiple cultures and languages. For instance, nationalism in the 17th century led to the creation of various nation-states such as Italy and Germany. The struggle was against their form of rule as against the involvement of any other country. What started as a form of romantic nationalism in Europe, with more emphasis on the unity of culture, music, traditions, etc. soon turned into a form of ethnic nationalism with greater emphasis on different regions following the same ethnic and cultural values.
Now coming to the aspect of Indian Nationalism, it varies significantly from European Nationalism that occurred in the 17th century. Back in the 17th and 18th centuries, India was governed by different rulers and dynasties that varied across the country. The territorial boundaries were not restricted to what it is at present and the country cherished a myriad of different cultures and traditions across the country. For instance, whilst the northern part of India was ruled by empires such as the Rajputs, the southern part of India had the presence of different dynasties such as the Cholas, each with its form of culture and tradition. The struggle for Indian Nationalism did not stem from the cultural and traditional differences present in the country. The concept of nationalism rose in India with the advent of the British taking control of the country’s administration in the 19th and 20th centuries. The most remarkable and primary expression of Indian Nationalism was the fight against colonial rule in India. Indian Nationalism stemmed from the oppressive colonial rule starting in the 19th century. The driving force of this movement has proven to be the unquenchable and rational hunger for Sovereignty. Thus, unlike European nationalism, Indian Nationalism was rather a struggle against foreign rule and Europe in the 17th century. Indian Nationalism did not follow the steps of European nationalism, although it gained its inspiration and strived for sovereignty from there. Indian Nationalism is rooted in the principles of justice, equality and co-existence of diverse cultures and communities. It followed the path of civic nationalism, which refers to nationalism that aims to establish political unity dependent on a common vision for the community built with equality and unity. It does not follow cultural nationalism as Indian nationalism emphasises the co-existence of different cultures. It aims to achieve ‘unity in diversity’.
The Nationalism that was coursing through the veins of the Indians during the freedom struggle was a result of overwhelming unity and the realisation of common denominators amongst the natives against the foreigners, despite the widespread diversity. Indians realised that the colonial rule would last only so long till they were divided. The Britishers thrived upon the disunion of the natives. The Revolt of 1858 marked the beginning of the struggle for Indian nationalism. Indians realised the need to reduce the apparent power of colonial rule and people believed in the concept of self-rule, where Indians are fit to govern themselves and rule their own country like they had two centuries before. This successful stride of projecting a united front fueled by the feeling of nationalism proved to be the success story of Indian Nationalism. Since the revolt of 1858, nationalism amongst Indians has only increased. Indian Nationalism can be observed through various instances in history. Some major events include the Champaran Movement, the Jallianwala Bagh Massacre, the Non-Cooperation Movement, the Simon Go Back Movement, the Civil Disobedience Movement and the Quit India Movement. More protests and movements were organised in history to promote nationalism in India. A country that was divided geographically became united for the sole cause of nationalism. The autocratic nature of the colonial rule and the oppression combined with discrimination faced by Indians were the main reasons for the increase in the same. Nationalism in India saw a major increase in the 20th century. This primarily occurred due to various instances orchestrated by the colonial government, most targeted at Indians and their discrimination. Furthermore, during the 20th century, there was a rise in leaders and members who voiced out their contentions with the colonial rule. These include leaders like Mahatma Gandhi, Subash Chandra Bose, B R Ambedkar, and Maulana Azad amongst many others, who expressed their dissatisfaction with the rule by the colonial government. These learned individuals played a major role in spreading awareness amongst the remaining part of the society about the concept of nationalism raised questions on colonial rule and advocated the idea of Indians ruling Indians. With the spread of awareness and an increase in the colonial discriminatory acts with instances such as the Rowlatt Act, Jallianwala Bagh incident, Simon Commission, Government of India acts, etc. the people of India felt the need for an equal and united society. As the final straw, the World War II outbreak played a major role in Indian Independence as the colonial government incurred a lot of losses and did not receive much support from Indians during this war as against World War I, where in majority of the Indians were used in support of the British during the war.
Thus, the growth of nationalism in India, though slow, contributed massively towards the freedom of the country and yet still stands to date despite all the unity and diversity present in India. Although nationalism is a key tool in uniting people, it can also play a major role in dividing people.
Let’s take the example of Nagaland. Nagaland is an Indian state located in North East India with Arunachal Pradesh located towards the Northeast, Manipur to the south & Assam to the west. The region is bounded by the hills of the China-India-Myanmar border region. Nagaland is home to the Nagas, who form more than 20 tribes, out of which Konyaks form the largest tribe in the state. Nagaland is home to one of the longest and still existing nationalist movements- The Naga Movement.
The Naga movement was a movement that started back in the 20th century post-independence. The Movement advocated for complete autonomy for the Nagas. This movement has been going on for the past 65 years. However, the earliest call for nationalism amongst the Nagas began back in 1918. It gained momentum post-independence with the Reorganisation of States Act in 1956 and when Nagaland became a separate state in 1963.
Before the invasion of the British in Nagaland, the Nagas were primarily head hunters with every village being considered as a separate sovereign territory. Each village was headed by a chief who ruled the tribal communities in that region. The villages were the centre of administration which led to an efficient & smooth judiciary and administration system. The Naga Hills became part of British India in 1881. The British rule did not result in any major changes to the administrative and judicial system in the state during the initial years of colonisation.
However, the First World War marked the start of nationalism among the people of Nagaland. The First World War resulted in the deployment of 2000 Nagas to the conflict zones, out of which many were injured. The events of the war brought a sense of unity among the Nagas and left deep impressions on them. The concept of one race, one culture and unity led to the development of the feeling of nationalism. This led to the formation of the Naga Club in 1918 to discuss the functioning of the state. Since 1929 the region has been advocating for complete autonomy, where the people of the region had the power to rule themselves, free from the ambit of the Union of India. The Naga movement originated from the strong feeling of nationalism among its population. The Nagas follow a rich culture & heritage that is unique & different from the remaining parts of the country. Post Independence, the Naga Movement was primarily headed by the Naga National Council, led by Angami Zapu Phizo.
The movement became stronger post-independence with the partition of India and Pakistan and the formation of the Union of India. The Nagas viewed their cultural identity to be different from that of India and wished to have complete freedom and not be under any country. One of the major reasons for the entire movement is that the people of Nagaland did not feel included under the Union of India and have always viewed Nagaland as a separate state. The vast difference in the culture and ethnic values of Nagaland and other states in India was the primary reason behind the spark of Naga Nationalism. The movement is ongoing, though there have been peace accords that have been signed in the past as a means to resolve the conflict. However, the feeling of nationalism is still present among the Nagas and some still wish for Nagaland to be an independent state and not part of India.
The Naga movement symbolises a struggle for nationalism, though small in nature, the movement does emphasise the need for Nagas to rule themselves, spreading the idea of nationalism. Naga Nationalism can be seen as very similar to that of Indian Nationalism and can also be seen as Sub-Nationalism. The widespread unison of various ethnic as well as geographical groups to resist a foreign and non-similar force is one common denominator. The formation of the Indian National Congress and the Naga National Council can be seen as the torchbearers of the Nationalism of its people. Both felt a threat to their ethnic identity and native resources and therefore used it to rationalise their resistance against the foreign force. The spread of education in both cases aided the struggle to gain sovereignty. The Nagas see themselves as a sovereign state just like India saw itself pre-independence. The Nagas are firm believers of efficient administration amongst themselves and therefore the need for an external force formalising them is deemed to be unnecessary. Their persistence and unfettering mindset of a separate nation-state is perhaps a tinge of Nostalgia for India during their days of struggle for sovereignty fueled by various factors of nationalism. Naga Nationalism has not been successful unlike Indian Nationalism and we can observe that during the movement for Indian independence, the people of Nagaland were equally in support of the same. Nagaland, during the struggle for independence, was insistent on the creation of a separate Naga state which they aimed to achieve through the independence of India.
However, the Indian independence, claims of the Naga people for an independent state remained unsuccessful. Despite the achievement of sovereignty, the people of Nagaland were of the staunch belief that their cultural and ethnic ideologies differed from the rest of the country. They believed that someone of their ethnicity and ideology should be in control and should rule the state and thus came about the reorganisation of the North East, with Nagaland becoming a separate state in 1963. However, the people of Nagaland seeked for more autonomy. Furthermore, the feeling of neglect and disconnect from the remaining parts of the country also fueled this nationalism. This feeling of neglect majorly occurred due to the lack of developmental projects initiated by the central government post-independence in the northeastern region. However, during the rule of Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi, the same was addressed by the government and more importance and schenes were introduced for the development of the North East, including Nagaland. Another key traction during this period was the presence of the Indian army in the North Eastern regions. This primarily occurred due to the common border these states shared with China and the issues of internal security present in these states. The Armed Forces Special Powers Act was introduced to address the same which gave power to the armed forces to maintain public order in disturbed areas. This was not welcomed by the majority of the northeastern states including Nagaland. Furthermore, the AFSPA act is yet present in some districts of Nagaland and other parts of the North East and this has been a constant infuriating factor for the people of these regions. The sense of nationalism yet exists to date among the people of Nagaland due to the various reasons stated above. However, with the increasing government schemes and measures and the decreasing presence of the armed forces, the sense of nationalism has reduced. There are yet some sections of Nagas who believe Nagaland should get complete autonomy, however, a few believe the contrary.
The case of Naga Nationalism can be seen as an example of ethnic nationalism as observed in Europe in the 17th century. The grounds for Naga nationalism are ethnic in nature and it does not amount to civic nationalism, which is the major difference between Indian Nationalism and Naga Nationalism to date. The entire case study of Naga Nationalism symbolises the true spirit of nationalism and how it can arise even amongst the smallest groups of people.