Alex Salmond to let 16-year-olds vote in bid to secure independence

[The Minsky Moment]

There will ever be a fuzziness to the definition, if only because it relies on "imagined communities", to borrow from B. Anderson.

Sure but in Anderson's narrative, the "imagined communities" are to a significant extent constructions of a politicized elite taking advantage of the emergence of mass literacy.  Thus, Anderson, like most theorists of nations and nationalism, places the phenomemon in time no earlier than the late 18th century.

[HVC]

Why is brazil part if the Hispanic super state but Mexico isn't? You fail at failing

[jimmy olsen]

The Phillipines as part of the anglo union?

It's like a lovable English speaking Mexico, they're in.

Indonesia / Thsiland / Burma / India???

Lots of historical cultural overlap.

Taiwan / Japan?

Israel as part of Europe???

They both need to go somewhere, and those were the best bets. From what I hear Taiwan's not nearly as bitter about the colonization as Korea is.

[Razgovory]

Tim, you are such a dolt.

[jimmy olsen]

Tim, you are such a dolt.

It's not a serious map.

[Neil]

Poland should be part of the Soviet Union.

[grumbler]

it's the one you gave me.  I'm simply asking how many Israelis believe their country shouldn't exist.  It sounds bizarre to me that someone emigrates and chooses to live in a such a country.

I'd argue a solid majority of the Arab Israelis probably believe that Israel should not exist.  It sounds bizarre to me that a supposedly educated member of the board doesn't think there are differences within Israel, with such a polyglot population.

In any case, what percentage of Israelis have to "believe their country shouldn't exist" to prove, or disprove, the argument that you never actually made that used  "how many Israelis believe their country shouldn't exist" as a metric?

[Sheilbh]

AFAICT, French republicanism had a very limited cultural influence in Quebec. With its anticlerical bent, first in 1792, and then in 1905, it was denounced in French Canada, paradoxically helping to secure a distinct national identity.

This is a totally separate issue and a very broad question but what sort of impact did France and changes there have on Quebec in the 19th century?  I'm assuming that Canada in general was looking to the UK and, possibly to a lesser (or greater) extent to the US.  What sort of cultural kinships did Quebec have in the same period?

[grumbler]

I disagree - most nations were designed, quite consciously, and the US is definitely among those. 

States, institutions, constitutions were designed. But nations? This makes most sense if one takes the legalistic point of view of nations as states.

I agree that nations are different from states, and have not been successfully designed.  There have been attempts, though.  I think you would conclude that those attempts are/were doomed to failure, and I would tend to agree.

[Grey Fox]

Tim is awesome, all you other people are just jealous of his milkshake.

[Zoupa]

AFAICT, French republicanism had a very limited cultural influence in Quebec. With its anticlerical bent, first in 1792, and then in 1905, it was denounced in French Canada, paradoxically helping to secure a distinct national identity.

This is a totally separate issue and a very broad question but what sort of impact did France and changes there have on Quebec in the 19th century?  I'm assuming that Canada in general was looking to the UK and, possibly to a lesser (or greater) extent to the US.  What sort of cultural kinships did Quebec have in the same period?

I have no idea, but I'm curious too. Oex? Enlighten us svp.

[Jacob]

The Chinese all learn English and do not want us to learn Mandarin.

Don't take Mono's opinion to represent all of China.

I mean... you can... it's funny. But it's not always that accurate.

[Barrister]

AFAICT, French republicanism had a very limited cultural influence in Quebec. With its anticlerical bent, first in 1792, and then in 1905, it was denounced in French Canada, paradoxically helping to secure a distinct national identity.

This is a totally separate issue and a very broad question but what sort of impact did France and changes there have on Quebec in the 19th century?  I'm assuming that Canada in general was looking to the UK and, possibly to a lesser (or greater) extent to the US.  What sort of cultural kinships did Quebec have in the same period?

As I understand it (as an outsider) Quebec (or at least French Quebec) was a very insular place, deeply tied to the Catholic church, and very rural.  Montreal was a much more multicultural, and English-speaking place than it is now.  I don't think it had a ton of "cultural kinships" until the Quiet Revolution of the 60s.

[Grey Fox]

I don't understand "Cultural kinship"?

[Valmy]

I don't understand "Cultural kinship"?

You know, reading French books and watching French films and thinking 'hey you know those Euros are not so different from us'.