BLOOD AND BELONGING :: essays research papers fc

     This is a critique of the book, Blood and Belonging, by Michael Ignatieff. This paper will explain the subject of the book and its relevance, prove Michael Ignatieffs methods and conclusions on the subject and finally include a personal critique of the book by the author of this paper.      The author of the book travels on what he price "the six journeys." On these "journeys" he encounters different cultures, as he travels to six different coinciding areas of the world. He examines the unique expression of nationalism that each universe displays by interviewing various members of that particular society. The six areas that he travels to are specifically chosen for the clarity which nationalism is expressed in society. Nationalism is a cipher contributing toward both present possible future instability in these areas.     These areas are former Yugoslavia (specifically Croatia and Serbia), Germany, Ukraine, Quebec, Kurdistan and Northern Ireland. According to Ignatieff, in Croatia and Serbia there is a liking for a separate identity between the two nations. The fear of losing ones national identity has caused ethnic hatred. A terror so strong and historically persistent, it has compulsive tribe to a desperate disk operating system to do anything. This is a large contributor to the reasons for the extreme violence present there today. The author states, "A Croat, thus, is psyche who is not a Serb. A Serb is someone who is not a Croat." This quotation profoundly expresses the short-sighted mentality present in their conflict.     In his travels in Germany, the author points discover an important question. Does the nation make the state, or the state the nation? This question by far does not stop here, especially when Germany is the subject. The essence of the German people is seen by some as aggressive and offensive, thus the existence of the Ge rman problem. If the nation makes the state then Germany will always be a threat. If the state makes the nation, then the aggressive nature of the German nation, which lead the world into two global wars, can be harnessed and redirected. The question has its roots and answers in the new-made reunification of Germany.     The Ukraine is concerned with not being Russian. It is here Ignatieff receives a complete vision of what nationalism is. He states, "I understand what nationalism really is the intake that a whole nation could be like a congregation singing the same hymns, listening to the