Nationalism, popular culture, and the media

Abstract

The media and popular culture play an integral role in how the idea of the nation has been developed, contested and contextualized over space and time. After acknowledging the media’s part in creating a sense of national community, this chapter reflects on the everyday geographies in which the nation is (re)produced via a range of media. While geographers have focused on the discursive construction of the nation in popular culture and the media, here I explore how nationalism is experienced, embodied and performed through everyday mediated encounters. I then consider the paradoxical relationship between globalization and nationalism and the impact of a society that is more and more digital. More specifically, I explore how the internet is increasingly involved in the everyday reproduction of nations at a range of scales. By drawing attention to the role of social media, I highlight the mobility of the “national image,” the weaponization of affect, and the transnational ties that have been forged and are reworking understandings of national identity and nationalism in the 21st century. To conclude, I offer future theoretical and methodological approaches in which geographers can contribute to understanding the mediated encounters of the nation and nationalism.