NATIONALISM AND POSTMODERNITY. ANTHROPOLOGICAL REFLECTIONS

The main aim of the article is to present the idea of banal nationalism from the anthropological perspective. Thus, the author shows various examples of nationalist social and cultural practices that seem to be indispensable elements of contemporary postmodern landscapes. However, nationalism is not presented here in its aggressive and common use - it is not related to separatist social movements or radical right-wing political parties. Banal nationalism is rather perceived as a common aspect of 'our' ('Western') everyday life and a specific way of contemporary nation identification. Therefore, the national space is at every turn - to use Michael Billig words - 'flagged' and perceived as 'necessary', 'obvious' and 'natural'. What is more, the anthropological fieldwork the author carried out among international students in Wroclaw shows that even in the times so 'liquid' as ours, it is almost impossible to dispose of the national identity.