Categories
Article

Immortal life through Death

By Zayd Riaz “Martyrdom is a divine gift to the chosen ones. The magnificence of this lofty position is proportional to the grandeur of the sacrosanct self-sacrifice which draws the martyr to the field of resistance and nourishes him with the sweetness of martyrdom.” Ayatollah Khomeini[1] It was Khomeini who first linked the idea of […]

Categories
Article

Roestigraben: Beyond the Romand/Alemannic Divide

The Author has requested to remain anonymous. Roestis are a dish made from grated potatoes that are fried in a pan and often served as a pancake. The dish originates from the Swiss-German cantons Bern, Fribourg or Zurich, depending on the version, and was traditionally eaten for breakfast by farmers and peasants. Roestigraben means ‘roesti gap’, it […]

Categories
Article

The Red Scare and Ontological Security

By Zayd Riaz In order to reap change within a society, you create a rhetoric that threatens the very thing that keep the people alive and stable: their identity. The politization of masculinity within 1950s America will be the concept under scrutiny today. Masculinity is an essential foundation in which males throughout history have used […]

Categories
Article

From Fellowship to Fascism? Tolkien, Nationalism, and the Politics of Literary Appropriation

By Eliot Tomlinson Tolkien and The Lord of the Rings have inspired many generations, uniting readers in a shared love for epic storytelling and mythological settings. It promotes empathetical values through the union of the races in the Fellowship. This is why I was amazed to hear JD Vance, a strong anti-abortionand anti-immigration politician, claim that “a lot of (his) […]

Categories
Article

Divided by Rösti, United in Fondue: the complexities of Swiss nationalism

By Eliot Tomlinson Switzerland is often perceived as a maverick in international politics: a neutral, decentralised State that doesn’t quite fit the typical nation-state model. Its strong federalism, linguistic diversity, and cultural plurality raise questions about whether it can truly be understood as a nation at all. This blog explores how national symbols, particularly food, express […]

Categories
Article

Vincent Bolloré or the power of a media monopoly in the normalisation of right-wing extremism in France 

By Lena Colle-Tri Vincent Bolloré, often nicknamed “the French Murdoch”, is a French ultra-conservative billionaire and Mogul who built his wealth on an array of industrial investments, namely in the transportation and energy sectors, before acquiring a colossal Media Empire.  In his ‘mediatic crusade, Bolloré has pushed nationalist and xenophobic rhetoric, framing immigration as a […]

Categories
Article

What if France were to pay reparations to all its former colonies?

By Mathilde Balmary and Lena Colle-Tri https://assets.lls.fr/pages/6990724/doc1.jpg IntroductionIn 2003 the Haitian President Aristide gave a public speech within which he asked for reparations from France and the United States, for colonial exploitation. However, just a year after this speech, a coup was organized in order to overthrow President Aristide and his “provocative” proposition. If you […]

Categories
Article

“Comment est votre blanquette ?” Or the use of French Comedies as Nationalist Tools

By Mathilde Balmary Quoting the famous French agent OSS 117 might be an odd way to start an article on French nationalism, however French comedies are crucial in the shaping and debating of national identity. From Molière to modern cinema, humor has always been a way for the French to reflect on their own society. […]

Categories
Article

Central in Imagery, Excluded from Power: Women in India’s 1940s Nationalist Movement

By Layla Al Dabel Draped in a saffron robe, holding the tricolor flag in one hand and symbols of Indian heritage in the other, Bharat Mata – Mother India – stands upon the map of undivided India. Her image, both divine and maternal, became the embodiment of the nation during India’s struggle for independence. In […]