how nations are invented

Is 'the nation' a 'natural' thing?

Nationalism is natural, multiculturalism is unnatural and foolish. : r/unpopularopinion

If you look at the history of the 'nation-state', it certainly doesn't seem 'natural':

Nation-state | Definition, Characteristics, & Politics | Britannica

Most 'nations' are in fact political creations - as this excellent BBC series with Misha Glenny has shown:

BBC Radio 4 - The Invention Of...

Including:

A four-part history of us - our borders, our peoples, the stories we tell ourselves.

BBC Radio 4 - The Invention Of..., Britain

And, amongst many:

Misha Glenny presents a history of Brazil, from the arrival of the Portuguese in 1500 to Brazil's entry in the Second World War

BBC Radio 4 - The Invention Of..., Brazil

The latest takes us to China:

How did the world's greatest civilisation find itself dragged into two Opium Wars and a century of humiliation? Misha Glenny heads to Hong Kong to find out.

BBC Radio 4 - The Invention Of..., China, To kowtow or not kowtow

It's a huge topic.

Here are some more examples:

India - An Unnatural Nation | History Forum

Natural borders of France - Wikipedia

The Invention of Canada: Literary Text and the Immigrant Imaginary

The Contested Idea of South Africa

Richard White’s Inventing Australia: revisiting the invention forty years later

La invencion de Mexico / The Invention of Mexico

Providence and the Invention of the United States

Here's more from these pages:

Jay Doubleyou: imposing one language on china

Jay Doubleyou: china, mandarin and domestic dominance

Jay Doubleyou: culture mix: germany

Jay Doubleyou: culture mix: norway

Jay Doubleyou: exceptionalism today

Jay Doubleyou: the politics of statues

Jay Doubleyou: official languages

Jay Doubleyou: language in ukraine: mariupol greek

Jay Doubleyou: language and politics in ukraine

Jay Doubleyou: not every english/swedish/german/russian-speaker is english/swedish/german/russian

Jay Doubleyou: facing up to your imperial past: the dutch

Jay Doubleyou: inglorious empire - what the british did to india

Jay Doubleyou: english traditions which aren't english...

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