[lit-ideas] Re: Patria
- From: Jlsperanza@xxxxxxx
- To: lit-ideas@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
- Date: Fri, 15 Feb 2013 00:57:47 -0500 (EST)
A running commentary of the link provided by D. R.
"A homeland (rel. country of origin and native land) is the concept of the
place (cultural geography) to which an ethnic group holds a long history
and a deep cultural association with —the country in which a particular
national identity began."
I seem to feel that 'land' is otiose there: "home" seems to just do.
"As a common noun, it simply connotes the country of one's origin. When
used as a proper noun, the word, as well as its equivalents in other languages
often have ethnic nationalist connotations."
I think Strawson considers this: 'congress' becomes "Congress". I don't
think that "Homeland" with capital C is a proper proper noun, like "Sally (in
our Alley)". It is still a common noun somewhat used properly (improperly).
"A homeland may also be referred to as a fatherland, a motherland, or a
mother country, depending on the culture and language of the nationality in
question."
But we've seen the Romans only used 'patria' (never 'matria') and that
fatherland (in English) predates "motherland".
"Motherland may refer to a mother country, i.e. the place of one's birth,
the place of origin of an ethnic group or immigrant, or a Metropole in
contrast to its colonies."
"mother country" may be distinguished from an expression like "mother
tongue", where "mother" is said to be the old Anglo-Saxon genitive.
"Russians commonly refer to Mother Russia as a personification of their
nation."
This is still different: "Mother England" -- cfr. "Father England" sounds
wrong. "Mother Britain" sounds clumsy.
"Many Russians around the world refer to Russia as their motherland."
"The French commonly refer to "la mère Patrie" as France."
Or simply, "la patrie". Note that by adding "mère" there seems to be a
clash with some binary thinking. (How can the land be mother AND father?).
"Latin Americans, too, commonly refer to "la Madre Patria" as Spain, but
currently without any ideological meaning", which is the most dangerous of
the ideological meanings.
"Fatherland is the nation of one's "fathers" or "forefathers". It can be
viewed as a nationalist concept, insofar as it relates to nations."
And it can be viewed as ridiculous seeing that only can have ONE father --
hence the otiosity of "one's fathers".
"The term fatherland (Vaterland) is used throughout German-speaking
Europe, as well as in Dutch."
"For example, "Wien Neêrlands Bloed", national anthem of the Netherlands
between 1815 and 1932, makes extensive and conspicuous use of the parallel
Dutch word.", but the title appears to refer to wine and blood.
"Because of the use of Vaterland in German war propaganda, the term
"Fatherland" in English has become associated with domestic British and
American
anti-Nazi propaganda during World War II."
cfr. "My country 'tis of thee
"Land where my fathers died" (invoking the Griceian question, "And how many
fathers do you have, if I may know?" "So you are what I may call a
multiple orphan?").
Terms equating "Fatherland" in Germanic languages:
Afrikaans Vaderland
Danish fædreland
Dutch vaderland
Frisian heitelân --- where the root seems to be different. Oddly, I love
Frisian: As someone said, "Bread, butter, and green cheese, is very good
English and very good Friese".
German Vaterland
Icelandic föðurland
Norwegian fedreland
Swedish fäderneslandet (besides the more common fosterlandet)
"A corresponding term is sometimes used in Slavic languages, in Serbian is
otadžbina or отаџбина in Serbian Cyrillic alphabet, Macedonian
татковина (tatkovina), Bulgarian татковина (tatkovina) as well as
otechestvo, Czech otčina (although the normal Czech term for "homeland" is
vlast),
in Polish ojczyzna (besides macierz "motherland"), Russian otechestvo (
отечество) or otchizna (отчизна) (although rodina "motherland" is more
common)."
"In Latin America a common way to refer to one's country is "Patria" which
has the same connotation as Fatherland, that is, the nation of our
parents/fathers (in Spanish Padres or Papas)."
Note that 'fathers' is literally odd. But 'parents' is a Latinate
expression, rather than Anglo-Saxon. I wonder if the Anglo-Saxons had a word to
refer to 'mother and father' before the Normans brought in "parents". Cfr. the
Italian concept of 'pro-genitor', which is kind of cute.
"Curiously, Spain is usually referred to as la Madre Patria (the Motherland
of our forefathers)", which invokes the same oxymoronic tendency of the
French and their "la mère Patrie".
"The Soviet Union created homelands for some minorities in the 1920s,
including the Volga German ASSR and the Jewish Autonomous Oblast. In the case
of
the Volga German ASSR, these homelands were later abolished and their
inhabitants deported to either Siberia or the Kazakh SSR. In the case of the
Jewish Autonomous Oblast this was not necessary, since it had been created
from the start at the far-Eastern end of Siberia, where no Jew had ever
lived."
" In the United States, the Department of Homeland Security"
rather than Motherland Security, of Fatherland Security -- "was created
soon after the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, as a means to centralize
response to various threats."
"In a June 2002 column, Republican consultant and speechwriter Peggy Noonan
expressed the hope that the Bush administration would change the name of
the department, writing that, "The name Homeland Security grates on a lot of
people, understandably. Homeland isn't really an American word, it's not
something we used to say or say now""
But there's like an odd implicature to
The Department of Fatherland Security
The Department of Motherland Security
--- Still, the disimplicature of "The Department of Home Security" may be
invoked.
"In the apartheid era in South Africa, the concept was given a different
meaning. The white government had designated approximately 13% of its
territory for black tribal settlement. Whites and other non-blacks were
restricted
from owning land or settling in those areas. After 1948 they were
gradually granted an increasing level of "home-rule". From 1976 several of
these
regions were granted independence. Four of them were declared independent
nations by South Africa, but were unrecognized as independent countries by any
other nation besides each other and South Africa. The territories set
aside for the African inhabitants were also known as bantustans."
" In Australia, the term refers to relatively small Aboriginal settlements
(referred to also as 'Outstations') where people with close kinship ties
share lands significant to them for cultural reasons. Many such HOMELANDS
are found across Western Australia, the Northern Territory and Queensland.
The 'homeland movement' gained momentum in the 1970s. It is estimated that
homeland numbers range around 500 to 700, with not all homelands being
permanently occupied owing to seasonal or cultural reasons."
"In Turkish homeland, especially in the patriotic sense is "ana yurt"
(motherland) while "baba ocağı" (father's home) is used for one's hometown and
practically means the house of one's parents where s/he grew up.
---- Although the idea of a hometown is complex. What about homevillage?
Not all parents live in 'towns'. Again, 'home' simpliciter seems to do.
"I'm going home".
Note the implicature: "I'm going to my home".
Incidentally, a favourite ballad of mine (Great War) is "Homing" (Teresa
del Riego) that does it even better than 'going home'.
Note that "Home" is such a common place name in England that Birmingham is
BirmingHOME, and Hamsptead is HOME-stead, and HAMPshire is HOMEshire. Not
to mention the HOME countes ("A cat is what makes a house a home (county).")
"(Note: The Turkish word "ocak" has the double meaning of home and
fireplace, like the Spanish "hogar".)"
And note that "Home, Sweet Home", the song, NEVER features those words, b
ut rather:
Home, home, sweet sweet home, there's no place like home, there's no place
like home.
In Privates of Parade, Flanagan and Allen sing of
never more roam
from the hearth of home sweet home.
See also
Diaspora politics
Homeland security
Mother tongue
Separatism
Secession
References
1.^ Noonan, Peggy (June 14, 2002). OpinionJournal - Peggy Noonan.
Retrieved 2007-09-08.
2.^ The Encyclopedia of Aboriginal Australia. 1994.
Further reading
Landscape and Memory by Simon Schama (Random House, 1995)
External links
Nationalism and Ethnicity - A Theoretical Overview
Indigenous rights
Rights
­Conflict resolution ·
­Cultural diversity ·
­Cultural heritage ·
­Freedom from forced assimilation ·
­Freedom from forced removal ·
­Freedom from racial discrimination ·
­Freedom of religion ·
­Gender equality ·
­Human rights ·
­Indigenous intellectual property ·
­Indigenous language ·
­Land rights ·
­Land-use planning ·
­Right to determine indigeneity ·
­Self-determination ·
­Traditional knowledge
Governmental
organizations
­Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development Canada ·
­African Commission on Human and Peoples' Rights ·
­Arctic Council ·
­Bureau of Indian Affairs ·
­Council of Indigenous Peoples ·
­Fundação Nacional do Índio ·
­National Commission for the Development of Indigenous Peoples ·
­National Commission on Indigenous Peoples (Philippines) ·
­United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues
Non-governmental and
political organizations
­Amazon Watch ·
­Assembly of First Nations ·
­Confederation of Indigenous Nationalities of Ecuador ·
­Congress of Aboriginal Peoples ·
­Coordinator of Indigenous Organizations of the Amazon River Basin ·
­Cultural Survival ·
­Friends of Peoples Close to Nature ·
­Indigenous Peoples Council on Biocolonialism ·
­International Work Group for Indigenous Affairs ·
­National Indigenous Organization of Colombia ·
­Native American Rights Fund ·
­Survival International ·
­Unrepresented Nations and Peoples Organization ·
­Zapatista Army of National Liberation ·
­(more ...)
Issues
­Lands inhabited by indigenous peoples (Bantustan / Indian reservation
/ Indian reserve / Ranchería) ·
­Civilizing mission ·
­Colonialism ·
­Cultural genocide ·
­Manifest destiny ·
­Postdevelopment theory ·
­Settler colonialism
Legal representation
­Indigenous and Tribal Peoples Convention, 1989 ·
­Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, 2007
Historical cases
­2009 Peruvian political crisis ·
­Chiapas conflict ·
­Depopulation of Diego Garcia ·
­High Arctic relocation ·
­Indian removal ·
­Mapuche conflict ·
­Oka Crisis ·
­Rubber boom ·
­San controversy ·
­Stolen Generations
Category
Categories: Nationalism
Cultural geography
Ethnicity in politics
------------------------------------------------------------------
To change your Lit-Ideas settings (subscribe/unsub, vacation on/off,
digest on/off), visit www.andreas.com/faq-lit-ideas.html
Other related posts:
