Race, Empire and Education Collective

This paper addresses two calls emerging out of Sociological theory—against methodological nationalism and methodological whiteness—in relation to the study of nations, nation-states and nationalisms. Building on Meghji’s synergy of decolonial and race critical theory, I propose a historicized and globalized analysis of nationalisms and the nation-state which can respond to these calls whilst also being attentive to the nation-state and nationalism as sites of violence. I insist upon the importance of understanding ‘race’ and coloniality as foundational aspects to the emergence and functioning of nationalisms and nation-states. Ultimately, I urge those concerned with the study of nations, nation-states and nationalisms to shift their analytical tools towards coloniality and racism, and the scholarship and struggles against them. 

Dragoș, S. (2024), Towards a Decolonial and Anti-Racist Analysis of the Nation-State and Nationalism. Sociology Compass, 18: e70002. doi.org/10.1111/soc4.70002