Heroes, villains and naked nations: micro-solidarity and grounded nationalism in times of crisis

Lea David, Sarah Carol, Siniša Malešević and Gordana Uzelac

EconStor Open Access Articles and Book Chapters, 2024, issue Latest articles, 1-22

Abstract: Figuratively speaking, the COVID-19 pandemic (2019–22) stripped nations naked, exposing the bare structure of how nationalism, as the driving force behind the nation-states, operates on the ground. Based on a survey conducted in April 2021 in five countries (Sweden, Serbia, Germany, Ireland and England), we thematically analyze two open-ended questions on who should be remembered as the heroes and villains of the pandemic, demonstrating that people’s perception of COVID-19 is shaped and reimagined through the category of their own nation-state. Two main arguments are put forward: (1) the vast majority of answers show that heroes and villains are found in small group encounters; (2) yet in-group micro-solidarity is referential to the existing organizational and ideological power of the nation-state. We utilize the notion of “naked nations” to show that, in times of crisis, people’s selfhood is profoundly grounded in micro-solidarity encounters that are tightly linked to nation-states.

Keywords: Grounded nationalism; micro-solidarity; COVID-19; heroes; villains; qualitative research (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2024
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:zbw:espost:310946

DOI: 10.1080/01419870.2024.2380928

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