Analysis of Nationalism and Ethnic Politics Literature review

Analysis of Nationalism and Ethnic Politics - Literature review Example The point of the existence of nationalism is a nation characterized by shared language, culture, and values. The academic theory on nationalism shows that national identity is usually contested and may reflect in the differences in class, gender, dialect, region, and language. Origin of nationality. The first studies relating to nationalism were mostly historically accounted for by the nationalist movements. Towards the end of the 19th century, the followers of Marx and other socialists showed an analysis that was very critical of the movements of the nationalists. This gives rise to the sociological theories of nationalism which date back to the period after the second world war. Some of these theories discuss issues relating to the identity of the people of a particular nation which are of major impact to nationalists (Smith, 2010). Anthony D. Smith shows the origin of nationalism and creates a synthesis of primordial and modernist views, which are now commonly referred to as an et hnic-symbolist approach. According to Smith, the conditions prior to the formation of a nation include: -A homeland that is fixed(current or historical) -High degree of autonomy -Hostile environments -Memories of battles -Sacred areas and centres -Languages -Special norms and practices -Historical records and way of thought Smith also postulates that the nation came into existence as a result of joining the whole population and not just the elite in the society, the introduction of legal and political institution, ideas from the nationalists, international popularity and the segregation of land by border formation. Research seeks to find out which among the nation or nationalism came first. According to the primordial theory of nationalism, nations are presented to be dating back or at least ethnic groups, as a social reality dating back twenty thousand years as a social reality. However, contrasting this speculation is the modernist theories which to a great extent show that until around 1800, there were no nations. The ideas of a national identity were first introduced by the European states for purposes of modernization and control of the economy and society. The people behind the modernist theory of nationalism view capitalism and printing press as important factors in nationalism. The Approaches to Nationalism The modernist Approach. The modernist approach borrows from the Marxist's traditions and as postulated by Smith, as much as nationalism is a modern concept, he insists that nations too have a pre-modern origin.  Ã‚  

Tell us about a time when you tried to reach a goal or complete a task Essay

Tell us about a time when you tried to reach a goal or complete a task that was challenging, difficult, or frustrating. What did you learn from this experience - Essay Example My role was to ensure that all the variables were working and that the bank registered additional clients as a result of the efforts of the sales department. The organization was experiencing stiff competition that called for aggressive sales strategy. As a sales representative, I was tasked with reaching prospective customers and make them register with the bank and deposit cash into their accounts. The move aimed at increasing the bank’s loanable funds and borrowing from the bank. Traditionally, the bank used personal selling and promotional camps to boost sales. With this in mind, the department arranged meetings with potential customers and gave them the details about the bank’s services. The meetings would also allow customers to ask questions regarding our products in order to contemplate making investment decisions (Pride & Ferrell, 2012). The sales representatives camped in several places to improve the visibility of the bank and its financial products. Despite our efforts, I realized that the realized sales were very few and did not make much impact to the bank’s portfolio. I noted that personal selling strategy was not ideal for the bank since it only reached a small segment of the market (Pride & Ferrell, 2012). As such, I concluded that the bank would require an elaborate marketing strategy to improve sales. The Board of Directors asked me to compile possible strategies that would enable the sales department achieve its mandate. I was determined to prove why personal selling alone was not ideal for the bank. I tabled the results of the study before the Board of Directors. I recommended that the bank overhauls its entire strategy and include advertising in mass media and online marketing. However, the Managing Director of the bank was conservative and determined to maintain the status quo. He argued that the new strategies would increase the cost of sales of the bank, thus