State nationalism
State nationalism or state-led nationalism is a nationalism that equates 'state identity' with 'nation identity' or values state authority. 'State nationalism' is considered a form of 'civic nationalism' and there are similarities between the two, but state nationalism also has to do with illiberal, authoritarian and totalitarian politics.
Conceptual framework
State nationalism is a "top-down" process where the state apparatus creates and promotes a national identity to secure political legitimacy. Unlike ethnic nationalism, which typically emerges as a "bottom-up" movement from shared ancestry, state nationalism relies on the existing legal and political boundaries of the state. Scholars like Anthony D. Smith categorize this as a feature of "territorial nations," where the state exists before a coherent sense of national belonging is formed. In this model, the state uses institutions—such as public education, military service, and official language policies—to assimilate diverse populations into a single national body.By countries
Asia
In the East Asian cultural sphere, including China, "state nationalism" and "statism" are both written as 國家主義, making the distinction between the two unclear. Also, in the East Asian cultural sphere, state nationalism is often contrasted with ethnic-based national liberation movements.China
is a civic nationalistic ideology, but it is an ideology that reduces Hong Kong's autonomy and justifies the dictatorship of the Chinese Communist Party.Japan
Kokkashugi, variously translated as "statism" and "nationalism", "state-nationalism" and "national socialism", was the ruling ideology of the Empire of Japan, particularly during the first decades of the Shōwa era.Japanese ultranationalism is often described as "state ultranationalism" because it values state unity around the Emperor of Japan.