Resumen de 'Oh motherland I pledge to thee ...': a study into nationalism, gender and the representation of an imagined family within national anthems
Oliver Lauenstein, Jeffrey S. Murer, Margarete Boos, Stephen-D. Reicher
In this paper, we argue that beyond understanding nations as imagined communities, the metaphor of an �imagined family� or �filial community� is a more useful concept towards understanding links between gender and nationhood as family relations in four ways: (1) providing a clear, hierarchical structure; (2) prescribing social roles and responsibilities; (3) being linked to positive affective connotations; and (4) reifying social phenomena as biologically determined. In order to empirically substantiate our claim, we will explore the prevalence and use of family metaphors in a key symbol of nationhood discourses. Through a qualitative analysis of national anthems as �mnemonics of national identity�, we demonstrate the widespread presence of family metaphors, discussing how they reproduce ideas of family and gender. Finally, we discuss how the �imagined family� as present in anthems and other forms of national representation could inform future studies of nationalism and national politics.
