Nazionalismo

Nazionalismo, commonly translated as nationalism, is a political and social ideology that emphasizes the collective identity of a group bound by shared language, culture, history, and often territory, and that seeks political self-determination or sovereignty for that group. It can take many forms, most commonly distinguished as civic nationalism, which grounds belonging in shared political values and citizenship, and ethnic or ethnic-cultural nationalism, which ties belonging to ancestry, language, or culture. Other variants include religious nationalism and liberal or socialist nationalist strains, which frame national belonging within particular ideological commitments.

Historically, nationalism arose in the late 18th and 19th centuries in Europe alongside modern state-building, decolonization, and the idea of the nation as a political community. The concept has been elaborated by scholars from Herder to Benedict Anderson, who described nations as imagined communities. Nazionalismo can mobilize political action, legitimize state power, and foster social cohesion, but it can also marginalize or exclude minorities and justify conflict or territorial claims.

In contemporary politics, nationalism interacts with globalization, migration, and supranational institutions. It can underpin state-building and democratic participation, but may also fuel populism, xenophobia, or ethnic conflict when defined in exclusive terms or deployed against outsiders.