Εθνικισμός και θρησκεία στη νεωτερικότητα

Abstract

A distinction has to be made between the notions of: ‘national identity’, ‘nation’ and ‘nationalism’. Nationalism, as the energy put forwards by collective fantasies of power, 

domination and salvation, goes beyond the limits of genuine politics. The potential of enthusiasm, fanatism, violence and mobilization it involves, unveils its common roots with religionsness. The latter supports in a quasi transcendent way the cohesion of a modern society through secularized, gnostic, political messianisms. On the other side, the contradiction between universalism and particularism is peculiar to both the monotheistic religion and the modern democracy.
The dominance of the particularist and essentialist notion of ‘community’ in orthodox christianism, opens the latter to the complicity within nationalism, while on the other side, it creates obstacles to the development of the modern individuality and the Law. The return of nationalist and religious conflicts in postmodernity, is a result of the immanent contradiction of globalization and internationalization. The increasing narcissistic self-referen- tiality of the individuals and the limitless neoliberal concurrence offer a privileged ground to asiatic religions, which fit better with the actual situation. In opposition to them, the monotheistic religion implies a critical potential against this situation.