Lived Nation: Histories of Experience and Emotion in Understanding Nationalism

The chapter introduces the concept of “lived nation” as a new perspective on studying nations and nationalism. By employing theories and methodologies from the histories of experience and emotions, the authors suggest a framework for analyzing how nations form and renew contexts for experiencing and feeling, and how the nations themselves are constructed in this process. Experiences and emotions are seen as mediators between different personal, social, cultural, and political spheres. Linked to discussions on everyday nationalism, personal nationalism, and national indifference, the chapter points toward future steps to be taken in nationalism studies, steps which will pay growing attention to historically varying bodily, material, and spatial contexts of experiencing.