Is the Defense of National Identities a Necessary Condition of Democracy - Essay Example

A nation that is founded on the homogeneity of the cultural, geopolitical, and ethnic inclinations of the society? Where the society has points of confluence, the populace is capable of coming together and deciding on how they are to be governed. As such, a nation-state is a prerequisite for democracy, without which society remains fragmented and incapable of making decisions as a unit (Helbling 13). Every nation-state retains its peculiar social culture, including its system of governance, which sets it apart from its neighbors.

Such national identities are, however, losing ground in the face of technological inventions. Through technology, the populace has gained a global perspective on local and alien issues. Communication and mass media have further served to facilitate globalization while helping to erode the existing national identities. National identities, therefore, are used to ensure the entrenchment of democracy through the inclusion of all in decision-making (Máiz and Requejo 88). By retaining national identities, democratic space was preserved.

However, in the face of globalization, national identities only serve as barriers to inclusivity by furthering exclusivity. With national identities, society is divided into distinct groupings each striving to impose its will on others. Such identities serve as points of conflict between various nation-states and hinder efforts at creating a uniform global identity. Defending national identities would entail a clash of differences, only the superior identity would prevail (Máiz and Requejo 122).

Other national identities would be viewed as decadent and rebuffed. Therefore, any attempt to retain national identities in a global community would only serve to promote fascistic ideologies.