Student Response: Anderson's Imagined Communities

Student Response: Anderson's Imagined Communitites

Leah Lourie

Benedict Anderson’s Imagined Communities attempts to explain the phenomena of nationalism and to investigate its origins and development over time. In his introduction, he discusses the issue of Marxism in recent conflicts within the world, and how nationalism comes into play. In many Marxist nations, wars are erupting with other Marxist regimes, with no apparent theoretical explanation. His historical views of wars and revolutions have a national theme. He concludes the introduction with the daunting task of defining the term “nationalism.” He uses the phrase ‘imagined communities’ to explain how we define ourselves as part of a larger national community. In Chapter 3, “The Origins of National Consciousness,” he explores the issue of capitalism in regard to the print medium. Anderson examines how the growth in print production contributed to the theory of nationalism, particularly how printing in various languages helped to define national areas based on language.

According to Anderson, nationalism is alive and well. Even in so-called Marxist regimes, conflicts within their borders continue to exist. These are countries that share the same political structure of communism. He cites “sub-nationalisms” (3), that continue to pop up around the world, often within the borders of one nation. He believes that “nation-ness is the most universally legitimate value in the political life of our time” (3).

Defining nationalism, however, is not an easy task. Many theorists have attempted to define the term, and Anderson gives it his best shot. He suggest that the word nation is “an imagined political community- and imagined as both inherently limited and sovereign” (6). The imagined part of the definition refers to the fact that within a nation, people never personally know one another. This does not stop them from viewing each other as belonging to the same specific community. Their connection is therefore an imagined connection or an illusion. This brings to my mind the renewed sense of community within the United States in the wake of September 11, 2001. Although many people may not have known any of the victims personally, they may feel a connection to the loss and a stronger sense of being an American than ever before. Their relationship to this broader community is, in a sense, imagined. Such an event also allows people to set aside their differences, creating a stronger community bond.

We as individuals imagine ourselves as belonging to a particular group within our community or nation. Anderson states that all communities, even those small villages where people know each other, are imagined. Community brings people together and instills patriotic values. These values include the willingness to fight or even die to protect your community and way of life.

In Chapter 3, Anderson poses a possible origin of this national thinking. He suggests that capitalism, specifically print capitalism had a large role in developing the concept of nation. The printed word became an international commodity through the invention of the printing press. At first, the primary work being published was works in Latin, which had a very small audience. As the publishing industry grew, so did the variety of work produced. In particular, the increase in the printing in various languages led to an increased national consciousness. This progress was spawned with the work of Martin Luther, whose work began to be printed in German. Within weeks, his work was seen throughout the region. This work became well read and Luther began selling books solely on his name. The reading public grew geographically. Printing expanded into many languages as Latin became less popular. Since there was “no possibility of humankind’s general linguistic unification” (43), nationalism began to take place within the capitalism of print production. Anderson claims this increase in nationalism came about in three ways: it created unified groups of languages, it built historical images (through the permanence of books), and it welded particular dialects to a specific final printed language.

In conclusion, Anderson’s excerpt from his book, Imagined Communities, provides some insight into the idea of nationalism and what it means.His term imagined community, which he uses to define the term “nation,” is an interesting idea.I believe our communities are imagined.I share in the notion of what it means to be American, and a belief that there is something that unites us. For Americans in 2001, a tragic event created a stronger sense of community than ever before.

In addition, the concept that the growth of print capitalism has had an effect on the development of a national consciousness makes sense.Language is a major factor in what defines a particular community or nation even today. This includes the printed word as well as the spoken. Language provides, according to Anderson, “unified fields of exchange and communication” (44).Anderson’s claims provide an interesting look at how language helps to define nations.