foundation of identity? Chapter Issue: To what extent should people reconcile their nationalist and non-nationalist loyalties?

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1 Chapter 4: Reconciling Nationalist and Non-Nationalist Loyalties: Related Issue #1: To what extend should nation be the foundation of identity? Chapter Issue: To what extent should people reconcile their nationalist and non-nationalist loyalties? Name:

2 Chapter 4: Reconciling Nationalist and Non-Nationalist Loyalties: Related Issue #1: To what extend should nation be the foundation of identity? Chapter Issue: To what extent should people reconcile their nationalist and non-nationalist loyalties? The Seal Hunt - read page 89 together as a class and examine Figure 4-1 on page 88. Who supports the Seal Hunt? Who would be opposed to the seal hunt? DISCUSS Everyone s identity includes individual and collective loyalties. Some of your collective loyalties may be nationalist, and some may be non-nationalist which are loyalties that do not involve the idea of nation. Loyalty to your family or to the belief that animals must be treated humanely are examples of non-nationalist loyalties. Here are some the characteristics of non-nationalist loyalties from page 90 below: Distinguishing between Nationalist and Non-Nationalist Loyalties (Page 91) The dividing line between nationalist and non-nationalist loyalties is not always clear. Take your friends for example. You may have chosen some friends because you share their interests. You have chosen others because you enjoy their sense of humour or you grew up as neighbours. Your loyalty to these friends is not based on the idea of nation. But you may have chosen some friends because you do share with them a sense of belonging to a nation. Read the rest of page 91 and please look at Figure Some Non-Nationalist Loyalties.

3 How can Nationalist and Non-Nationalist Loyalties Compete? (Page 92-99) When CLASS and Nationalist Loyalties Compete Most societies are divided, either formally or informally, into social classes. People may be identified as members of classes according to the work they do or by their wealth, status, level of education, ancestry, heritage, ethnicity, or a combination of factors. If people accept these divisions, no conflict occurs. But if people dispute the divisions or believe that one class is favoured over another, conflict may result. The French Revolution is an example of the conflicts that can occur. Please read Giving Voice to Class Loyalty on page 92 together as class. Examine the following questions: * How might the outcome have been avoided in Edmonton in 1932? When Religious and Nationalist Loyalties Compete (page 90) Because of globalization and world-wide migration, many social studies classes across the province of Alberta may include students with many different religious beliefs. Canada is a civic nation where freedom of religion is guaranteed in the Charter of Rights and Freedoms. As a result, people with various religious loyalties are called upon to respect one another s beliefs and coexist peacefully. But in many countries, religious and nationalist loyalties have come into conflict in the past and continue to do so today. Please read Religious Loyalties in Iraq on page 93 together as class. When Regional and Nationalist Loyalties Compete (page 95) A region may be an area within a country (e.g. the West), an area with a province (e.g.. Northern Alberta), or even an area that crosses provincial and national boundaries (e.g.. the Prairies). People often express their regional loyalty by actively promoting the interests of their region. But this loyalty can sometimes clash with their national loyalties. This is what happened in Alberta in the 1970 s. Finish the chart below to enhance your understanding of when regional and national loyalties compete.

4 When Regional and Nationalist Loyalties Compete Oil, Gas, and Regional Loyalty (p. 95) The Alberta Oil Sands The Oil Sands and Loyalty (p. 96) The Oil Sands and Ideological Loyalty (p.97) The Oil Sands and Cultural Loyalty (p. 98)

5 Please read the View From Here on page 99 about the development of the Oil Sands and how it creates countless opportunities but how it also creates tremendous environmental damage. This can lead to contending loyalties. Look at how 4 different people have responded to this dilemma. Answer the questions in the Explorations section at the bottom of page 99. #1) Which speaker s position most closely reflects your own? Why? 1b) Is your position based on nationalist or non-nationalist loyalties? What loyalties, if any, does your position compete with? Explain! What loyalties does your position compete with? 2) Which speakers do you think demonstrate conflict between their nationalist and non-nationalist loyalties? Explain! 2b) What are these contending loyalties? Why do they compete?

6 How have people reconciled nationalist and non-nationalist loyalties? (Page ) Many people have and will experience situations in which their nationalist loyalties compete with non-nationalist loyalties. This often occurs because their loyalties have different goals. As a result, people will try to reconcile their contending loyalties in various ways: * live with their contending loyalty * choose one loyalty over another * accommodate non-nationlist loyalties by bringing about change in the nation When peoples nationalist loyalties compete with their non-nationalist loyalties, they may choose to remain uninvolved for a number of reasons: * be undecided about how to respond * believe that living with contending loyalties is easier than speaking out or taking action * believe that, as individuals, they cannot make a difference * be occupied with other pressing concerns For a variety of reasons, some people find it hard to express their opinion for a variety of reasons. However, these people may pay a price for their silence: someone else may make important decisions for them. Choosing One Loyalty over Another When people choose one strong loyalty over another, they may lose an important part of their identity. In China, for example, the government has outlawed a religious and spiritual movement called Falun Gong or Falun Dafa. In response to their contending nationalist loyalty and their non-nationalist religious loyalty, some Falun Gong members have chosen loyalty to their nation and stopped practicing their Falun Gong religion. Others have chosen to defy the nation by practicing their religion in secret. If they are discovered, they may be jailed and tortured. In both cases, people have been forced to sacrifice an important part of their identity. This can lead to alienation - being on the outside or left out. When religious or spiritual values and beliefs must be suppressed or hidden, people have a hard time sharing the collective consciousness that comes with feeling as if they belong to their nation. Finding ways to Include Nationalist and Non-Nationalist Loyalties (page 97) In democratic countries like Canada, people can find ways to reconcile contending nationalist and non-nationalist loyalties. Then these loyalties can co-exist. We will read together and examine how our governor general, Michaelle Jean, can find ways to include both her nationalist and non-nationalist loyalties. It has been a struggle for her, but she has shown her nationalist loyalties to Canada, to Haiti, and to France and her non-nationalist loyalties to her region, to her ethnicity, to her class, and to her linguistic group through her Coat of Arms.

7 There are 5 case studies you need to look at to get some examples of how people have found ways to include their nationalist and non-nationalist loyalties. They are Michaelle Jean and her coat of arms, Baltej Singh Dhillon and his desire to wear a turban as part of his RCMP attire, the Little Rock 9 fighting for their rights to attend public school in the southern USA in the late 1950 s, Hutterite s fighting for the right to NOT have their picture taken for their driver s license in Alberta, and the story of Maher Arar. #4 Chapter 4 Q s: Reconciling Nationalist and Non-Nationalist Loyalties Short Answer Questions 1. Explain how the dividing line between national and non-nationalist loyalties are interconnected and explain how they are different? 2. Provide an example of when class loyalties and nationalist loyalties compete. 3. Provide an example of when religious loyalties and nationalist loyalties compete. 4. Provide an example of when regional loyalties and nationalist loyalties compete.

8 5. Provide an example of when ideological loyalties and nationalist loyalties compete. 6. Provide an example of when cultural loyalties and nationalist loyalties compete. 7. Provide three examples and brief explanation of when people have reconciled contending nationalist and non-nationalist loyalties.