Posts Tagged ‘Behnum Habibi’

• 2006-07 Selected Essays

  Date: 2008.05.29 | Category: News, Selected Essays | Response: 0

  The editorial committee of e.g., UW’s online journal of 100-level writing, is pleased to announce the winning essays for 2006-07:

  Bilingual Education and its Threat to the Nation Form
  Karin Asplund

  The Future of Tomorrow Struggling with Domination
  Christine Caldejon

  The Manipulation and Exploitation of Nationalism
  Behnum Habibi

  “Man Law”: Perpetuation of Stereotypes Online
  Caitlin Pratt

  Persuasion for a Better Cause
  Ashley Thoreson

  A More Mobile Campus: A Proposal for a New Mobility Map at the University of Washington
  Jessica Vu

• 2006-07 Winner: “The Manipulation and Exploitation of Nationalism” by Behnum Habibi

  Date: 2008.05.14 | Category: Selected Essays | Response: 0

  “The Manipulation and Exploitation of Nationalism” by Behnum Habibi PDF

  The need to call a place home is a very familiar desire. National citizenship can be thought of as a unique status which offers people unbridled access to this peace of mind.  Because the nation is the source of this comfort, it is not surprising that people take pride in it. But nationalism stems from the abstract, purely ideological form of a nation.  This concrete-less nationalism has been a key facet in the American government’s decisions about the economy, domestic spending, and most notably, foreign policy.  Many, if not most, countries involved in wars during the last century maintained public support through nationalism. However, nationalism not only has arbitrary roots, but in the case of politics, it is often falsely fashioned in the minds of citizens so that governments can forcibly impose political will. The United States is certainly no exception; rather, it is right now, the perfect example.  This paper will explore how what I will call artificial nationalism is encouraged through democratic rhetoric, and how George W. Bush uses artificial nationalism and moralistic rhetoric post 9-11 to legitimize certain foreign policies to the American people.

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