Sociological Cultural Studies

Sociological Cultural Studies

Nation-Building in pluralistic societies: An analysis of the rights-oriented and authority-oriented methods

Document Type : .

Authors
Ali Akbar Gorji Azandaryani 1
shahriar hoseini 2
1 Associate Prof, Department of Public Law, Faculty of Law, University of Shahid Beheshti, Tehran, Iran
2 MA. in Public Law, Department of Public Law, Faculty of Law, University of Shahid Beheshti, Tehran, Iran
10.30465/scs.2024.45315.2728
Abstract
Abstract
'Nation-building' refers to the process of establishing a nation and uniting people under the authority of a government in a particular region. In the process of nation-building, there is no specific and universally accepted pattern. Thus, nations are sometimes formed on the basis of objective factors such as race, ethnicity, language, culture, and religion, while other times they are formed on the basis of subjective factors in light of normative and political elements. The process of nation-building in a pluralistic society is complex. It can bring stability or generate ethnic civil wars and instability. In this regard, by employing a legal, political, and interpretative approach to the data collected through a library-method collection of texts, the present research attempts to answer the following question: what patterns result in the peaceful coexistence of diverse groups or their coercive relations in the context of nation building? The findings of this study indicate that nation-building will remain stable with a right-oriented model since it ensures the fundamental rights of all groups and spectrums in the process. In the process of nation-building with an authority-oriented nature, it may, however, be able to maintain stability in appearance and control pluralistic groups under the authority of the political system for a long time, but there is a potential for the nation-state's collapse and constant changes in the components of national identity in these structures.
Keywords: nation building, nationalism, multiculturalism, citizenship rights, ethnic pluralism
Introduction
The existence of ethnic, cultural, linguistic and religious diversity is an unavoidable fact among the countries of the world; These variations become a very important issue as long as they are included in the process of nation building. Variations, like an issue, can both bring nation building to a stable point and can ignite the fire of civil wars. In the meantime, most governments directly or indirectly adopt homogenous cultural policies that can resolve diversity with ethnic identification in the name of national unity and integration; Because they consider ethnic and cultural diversity as an obstacle to the creation of a national government. In this process, the type and intensity of adopting integration policies depends on the level of attachment of ethnic groups to their inherent components, for this reason some ethnic groups have been well integrated and joined without resistance. But the problem arises when ethnic diversities show resistance to cultural homogenization policies in the course of nation building; In this case, the process of nation building faces problems and the nation developed from such a process will be weak and unstable. In this regard, sometimes governments resort to the components and characteristics of the majority ethnic group to gain political legitimacy in the completion of the nation-building process, and the majority ethnic components are used as a tool. In other words, the components of one of the groups are known as the elements of the national identity and they lead other groups towards absorption with different pressures. The majority ethnic group hides behind the hegemony of power and leads other groups to decline. This is the turning point that causes the flare-up of ethnic conflicts within a country. In other words, one of the most fundamental reasons that causes violent actions in plural societies such as cleansing, killing and genocide in the matter of nation building; Non acceptance of diversity and plurality of identities. Considering that the modern era is the era of multiple identities; But some governments base their national identity on the denial and non-acceptance of pluralism. Nation-building and creation of national identity can sometimes end in reconciliation and acceptance of diversity such as Malaysia, India, South Africa, Switzerland, and sometimes it can also end in wars and identity problems and ethnic wars such as Ethiopia, Nigeria, Iraq, Afghanistan, Myanmar, etc. . We know very well that the most fundamental cause of genocides and ethnic cleansing is rooted in prejudice, discrimination and relying on the objective components of nation building such as race or language. In other words, genocide and massacres in two thirds of the conflicts in the last half century have been due to ethnic violence, which can be mentioned in the Muslim genocide of Bosnia, Rwanda, Cambodia, as well as the Jewish holocaust during World War II, all of which are somehow rooted in religious and ethnic prejudice. And there was a race that jeopardized the issue of nation building and the creation of a peaceful national identity. In this regard, fundamental questions come to mind regarding nation building: "How can people under the concept of nation live in peace with each other in plural societies without serious ethnic and cultural conflict?" What is nation building?", "Why do authoritarian and autocratic leaders interfere in nation building?" and "What are the effects of nation building on the durability of their political regime?"

Materials & Methods
with the approach of public law, nation building can be divided into two tendencies, democratic and authoritarian. In other words, nation building with a democratic and righteous nature is more trying to answer that, by using what kind of mechanisms in the matter of nation building can achieve citizenship, peace and freedom and prevent the creation of internal ethnic and cultural violence? Democratic discourse takes a step based on the recognition of diversity and often considers specific normative and institutional requirements in line with the protection of fundamental human rights to complete the process of nation building. However, nation building with an authoritarian nature will be a means for leaders and ruling political parties to maintain power and gain legitimacy. In other words, if an authoritarian regime can create a sense of unity and national pride among the even hypothetical majority or even a part of the population, it can gain legitimacy and force people to obey with minimal effort. Therefore, the present research will take up this discussion with an analytical-descriptive method and with a legal-political approach from the texts collected in a library style after examining the concept of nation and nation-building by dividing the right-oriented and authority-oriented patterns and their signs. For a better understanding of the subject in each part of the research, examples from different countries are given according to the topic under discussion. For this reason, we have also used the approach of comparative law.

Discussion & Result
The meaning of the current research is that in the rights oriented process of building a nation and national identity, minimum human rights and freedoms, including the right to life, which is the most fundamental human right; be accepted in plural societies. The existence of ethnic diversity in a country is not scary in itself; that which makes ethnic or religious diversity dangerous; The adoption of macro policies, the behavior of elites and the type of ideology will prevail. Naturally, making decisions in the direction of denying or accusing minority groups causes radicalization of nation building processes in the society and encourages the ruling group to eliminate and the minority group to diverge. That is, the point of threat is where, in the evolution of the concept of being a nation, the government and elites prevent minority groups from asserting their cultural and linguistic rights. But in the authority-oriented process, most political leaders use the nation-building process to legitimize their political system and ignore fundamental human rights.

Conclusion
All nations are constantly evolving; Every nation is an ongoing and always unfinished project. That is, as Renan believed, the nation is an everyday referendum. The relationship between ethnic diversity and nation building largely depends on the activism of the society's elites. Sometimes government institutions develop civil nationalism, unite different ethnicities under a national umbrella; Sometimes they rely on the ethnic components of the real majority or even the hypothetical majority and do not reflect the diversity. It is obvious that governments that are based on the rule of law and have the ability to provide security, industrial and civil infrastructure, and balanced development throughout a territory; They will definitely go through the process of building the nation in a more stable way. In this regard, they can create extensive support networks among different ethnic groups; In a society where there are dense networks of voluntary citizen associations, the possibility that elites mobilize their ethnic group in the direction of divergence; It will be less and somehow it will lead them towards convergence networks in the direction of multi ethnic coalitions. As it is known, the nation-building process is trying to recognize and protect the cultures and ethnicities in the society by adopting multicultural policies or by using mechanisms to distribute power. The process of completing this type of nation building will be long, but there is an assurance that the basic rights of all groups in the society will be guaranteed. In the democratic process, socio-political boundaries are tried to be adjusted for the benefit of all groups in the society. most authoritarian systems require a source as a support to the political regime to obtain legitimacy in order to gain legitimacy .in this process , the closest and less path to the nation 's construction will depend on the ethnic component of the majority group because it can gain the legitimacy of the regime from the components of the dominant or assumed ethnic group .for this reason , scope of Political society in nation building process is often very limited and will only revolve around the components of one of the political ethnic groups. In democratic nation-building, the goal is to strengthen the twin freedom and cooperation in an inclusive political society, while authoritarian and top-down nation-building emphasizes assimilation and coercion in a closed political society. The findings of this study indicate that nation-building will remain stable with a right-oriented model since it ensures the fundamental rights of all groups and spectrums in the process. In the process of nation-building with an authority-oriented nature, it may, however, be able to maintain stability in appearance and control pluralistic groups under the authority of the political system for a long time, but there is a potential for the nation-state's collapse and constant changes in the components of national identity in these structures.
Keywords
nation building
nationalism
multiculturalism
citizenship rights
ethnic pluralism
Subjects
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Sociological Cultural Studies
Volume 16, Issue 3 - Serial Number 57
Autumn 2025
Summer 2025
Pages 391-425

  • Receive Date 27 April 2023
  • Revise Date 12 September 2024
  • Accept Date 29 September 2024
  • Publish Date 22 November 2025