You see similar dynamics in Arabia, where until the 1920s, people primarily identified as Ottoman or Arab or based on the their residence, not as Lebanese, Qatari, Saudi, or Jordanian. Nationalism doesn’t arise in a vacuum; it’s often a response to foreign influence or power. Zionism rose in response to European anti-Semitism, and the Palestinian national movement partly rose in response to the influx of Zionists and Jews between the 1880s and 1920s. American nationalism likely emerged in response to British control. Americans are an imagined community themselves—the true “Americans” are the indigenous populations, who were largely displaced by European settlers (who likely never thought of themselves as “American” in the beginning). Ironically, the term “American” comes from a European, Amerigo Vespucci.

Welcome to my TED Talk (or a daily rant, to be precise).

@javohirakramov