What Is An Imagined Political Community

In his book, the author, John Freie identifies the difference in genuine and counterfeit communities and how these communities affect our society. Freie states that a community is based on human relationships in which people are actively participating and cooperating with others; however, he also explains there are counterfeit communities that only “suggest” connectedness between people through symbols and images; these communities are sold to people rather than built. Therefore, based on his definitions, the main difference between the genuine and counterfeit communities is true human interaction and relationships. In his book, Freie explains there are certain areas of society that are not considered to be genuine communities but

She continues to reference other people’s perspectives of the region by writing how she “recently heard a comedian” say how it was an uneventful place, and how the Midwest “is a place considered devoid of stories.” When the author gives other people credit for their statements in correspondence with the upper Midwest, it gives the reader the impression that Debra Marquart does not agree with these previous statements. She chooses to introduce the common ideas that people use to characterize the Midwest at the beginning to explain the characterization given by others before she tells the reader how she sees it in her own eyes. The use of allusions shows the reader of the multiple things said about the upper Midwest whether it be good or bad. The characterizations are not all deprecating. Aside from Marquart using perspectives that describe it as being “a flyover region one must endure to get to more interesting places,” there are some included that present the area as a place that sparks creativity for many writers. It is mentioned that some writers base characters and settings from Midwesterners “where all women are strong, all the men are

Government structures are imperative to having a manageable state of civilization. However, these structures face several difficulties and conflicts. The complex human activity of resolving these conflicts is called politics. According to Bernard Crick, in his book, “In Defense of Politics” he defends this activity and further defines it as a conflict resolution through the process of deliberation, compromise, and listening for the common welfare of the whole community. It is a unified contribution to government that is not solely based on one interest (21). Also, Crick further defends politics from the practice of technology, nationalism, and democracy. Additionally, although it is often assumed politics is done in all governments from local to foreign, in the contrary, all governments don’t adhere to this activity defined by Crick. In fact, with our current president, Donald Trump, based on the actions he has taken so far, he is anti-political.

A community is a group of people who live in the same area, interact with each other, and share certain norms and values. A community is defined as a locality-based entity, composed of systems of formal organizations reflecting societal institutions, informal groups, and aggregates that are interdependent and whose function or expressed intent is to meet a wide variety of collective needs (Stanhope & Lancaster, 2012).

While these authors are divided on the definition of “one nation” they all recognize the major issues that affect our nation today. Despite Brooks’ muddled representation of the socio-economic and political divide in the United States, the author made one important point – that despite the differences among the entire population, Americans share the “same love” for their nation (Brooks 541). The notion of loyalty to the country may be an idealistic one. However, it clearly represents what factor or element unites Americans as a people. Even outside the American context, people should no longer be categorized as part of Red or Blue America, but a part of a truly diverse country where differences are observed in “cohesive” communities (Brooks

It is true that today in America, there exist four types of groups, known as “linkage” institutions that without them, a democracy would be very difficult to keep up. These institutions play a significant and important role in connecting citizens to the government, but they are not officially a part of it. These groups are the following: the political parties, which represent points of view to how the government should be run. The campaigns and elections, which remind the citizens of their greatest power– the vote. The interest groups, which organize people with common interest and attitudes to influence government to support their points of view, and the media, which play an important role in connecting people to government.

It is through connections with other people that individuals believe they can impact politics. More specifically, those with similar interests are likely to develop social trust, bargain with others and build coalitions. Putnam also argued that interest groups can mobilize people who share similar behaviors, mores and beliefs. He used an anecdote that in the 1990s, Christian fundamentalists and Catholics bridged their conflicts by working toward pro-life ideals. Truman argued that overlapping members in interest groups can solve the issue of factions, since members would unite under a greater number of issues. Essentially, Putnam made the claim that individuals have become disconnected from “family, friends, neighbors and social structures.” He argues that this greater disconnect is detrimental to society, because according to Putnam, communities with less social capital have lower educational

Even today, divisions in groups have been as a result of continued differences among the uniting groups. Humans have a tendency to incline towards the protection of their interest’s aid favors of their perceived groups. Such favourism makes them advocate fully for their interests posing a challenging opposing side to the interests of their unperceived groups. Many nations today are faced with such opposing groups having differing interests and ideals. People advocating for similar ideals tend to create strong ties of

When I think about a political community, I usually associate it with elections, politicians, and advertisements that bad mouth candidates from the different political parties. Politicians try to persuade citizens to vote for them by making promises that they may never fulfill. But a political community is more than that. A comparison of Aristotle and John Locke’s nature and purpose of a political community has given me a new insight. I learned that, even though the political community is responsible to provide security, its main purpose is aimed for the highest good of all its citizens, which is virtue and happiness.

Political communities, nations and/states, have been formed from shared territory, a constitution, and perhaps most importantly through a collective memory. Memory is traditionally understood as a way of maintaining information, typically a personal and individual affair. But collective memory serves a purpose of connecting the some past experience of a group of individuals to the present to form a narrative. "Identity claims, when pushed, characteristically seek something else: to establish the sameness, the continuity, of a person or community across time and in the face of apparent change" (Booth 1999, p.249). Memory can be a dividing or uniting tool, it split communities into various shared identities, sometimes aligning with state lines

The definition of community when I google it, is “a group of people living in the same place or having a particular characteristic in common.” I would describe community as a group of people who have common goals, thoughts, or interests.

Communities are affected, and in a sense defined by, forces that affect community members and their space. The forces can range from outside organizations such as the government and large corporations … These components of the community vary infinitely, and thus no two communities are the same; even a given community is not the same over time (Cnaan & Milofsky, p. 1)

The term community is a more than geographic boundaries. It is a group of people

Lastly, print capitalism lead to the idea of a nation as an imagined community because it creates a sense of solidarity through its inequality and injustice. Solidarity can be seen through war tributes and holidays in which an entire nation participates. Additionally, through the use of language, it is a powerful means that is used to unite a nation. It suggests a community between its contemporary society and its dead ancestors. Language arts such as poetry, songs, and national anthems for example, create a simultaneous imagined community of selfless voices.

Human beings naturally are social creatures. In order to survive, humans have since been working together. People rely to each other in order to remain alive, whether it be with finding food, building houses, or with finding jobs. There is one famous quote by John Donne that says “No man is an island”. Humans have this need to belong in a group. This need for co-existing is what lead people into forming nations. Nations are groups of people who have a very strong bond of identity; may it be with having the same ethnicity or with having the same interests. One known description of a nation is Benedict Anderson’s (1983) conception of nations as imagined communities. They are imagined “because the members of even the smallest nation will never know most of their fellow-members, meet them, or even hear of them, yet in the minds of each lives the image of their communion” (Anderson, 1983, p. 15). By belonging in a certain nation or growing up in a certain environment, one develops their own national identity. There are a lot of factors as to how you can identify to a certain nation. Certain factors would be your language, ethnicity, culture, relationship to your land, your religion, spirituality, views with politics, or your land’s geography. As social beings, having a group you identify with has a very great effect on you. However, there also are