Abstract

PLANA JOYA, Genís. The Foundations of “The Nation Form” by Étienne Balibar: Capitalism and Ideology in Modernity. Rev. mex. cienc. polít. soc [online]. 2022, vol.67, n.245, pp.421-444.  Epub Apr 30, 2023. ISSN 0185-1918.  https://doi.org/10.22201/fcpys.2448492xe.2022.245.77568.

In a historical context in which the perspectives afforded by globalization are extremely uncertain, national demarcation has re-emerged as an advantageous sphere from which to define political projects, on both the left and the right of the ideological spectrum. This overwhelming reality demands that we pay attention to the foundations of what philosopher Étienne Balibar called ‘the nation form.’ For this purpose, this paper aims to outline this thinker’s foundational conceptualization of the nation. Taking one of his most well-known essays (The Nation Form: History and Ideology) as a point of departure, the following pages will underscore the conditions of possibility of the nation, whether they be ‘hard’ (the development of the capitalist economy on a world-wide scale) or ‘soft’ (the ideological processes by which national subjectivity is shaped). Lastly, it shall examine Balibar’s reflections regarding the class element, considered to be constitutive to any national community.

Keywords : nation; state; world-economy; people; ideological apparatus.

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