lifestyle (Hobsbawm in Heywood, 1997: 107). This shows that cultures are not stagnant but dynamic in nature.As a result of that, the political approach focuses instead on people’s loyalties to political ideologies. Political elites try to divert people’s attachment to their respective cultures by creating a new culture for the nation in which the society could identify to. They do so by stressing the uniqueness of their nations origins and that as a nation they share a common goal. The knowledge of being ‘different’ from other communities cultivates a sense of belonging to the nation. People would then be encouraged to invest more time and energy into the nation. This process is known as ‘ethnic grouping’ (Smith, 1981: 56). A nation is thus defined by the political approach as a body of citizens voicing out their political view using the state as a tool (Hobsbawm, 1990: 18-19). Everyone is seen as an equal and there is mass participation in the governing of the nation. A sense of democracy seemed to prevail as choices are debated concerning a certain territory. Revolutionaries tend to follow this approach as it represents the common interest of the people against a particular interest (Hobsbawm, ibid: 20). An example could be taken from the French revolution whereby the ‘French nation’ rose up against the monarchy (Heywood, 1997: 107).In relation to that, the political approach emphasizes the territory a nation holds. Revolutionaries and nationalists often embarked on their campaigns to claim an area of land in which they could call a state. This is because if their claim could gain international recognition, they would be able to govern the state independently. Retaliation is also made possible if it is being attack by another state.Finally, the psychological approach in defining a nation. The main authority for this approach is Benedict Anderson. According to Anderson, the notion of a na...
