Define a "nation"

[Tee Kay]

Inspired by this thread

My question to you: what qualities does a nation have to have to be called a nation?

 

[Babbler]

Standard definition: a group of people with a similar history, culture, language, religion, etc., usually concentrated in a certain geographic area.

Snarky definition: a tribe or clan, armed with AK-47 & grenades.

 

[potatokiosk]

The members of said nation must feel that they are a nation.

 

[Ball Lightning]

A place where people feel they live and have special felling for.

 

[Synobun]

Known boundaries, and a government.

 

[Ball Lightning]

Known boundaries, and a government.

Egypt didn't have known boundries for ages and it was still a nation.

 

[Synobun]

Actually, it kinda does

(Look on a map, see those small lines there )

 

[Tee Kay]

The Sioux is considered a nation and they don't have boundaries.

The Kurds too, Tatars, Inuits...

 

[Ball Lightning]

Actually, it kinda does

(Look on a map, see those small lines there )

In the old days.

 

[Bast]

Common language/s, history and culture.

 

[bhsup]

(Points to the border to the south): That thingamabob there.
(Points to the border to the north): As well as that one.
(Points to the border to the east): That as well.
(Points to the border to the west): Yeah, that one too.

Everything within is our nation. Race and ethnicity mean absolutely nothing except for one very special group of people in the world, and I am not blessed to be a member of that group. If I moved to Japan and became a Japanese citizen, I would consider myself Japanese. If I moved to Russia and became a Russian citizen, I would consider myself Russian.

 

[Hitti-Litti]

If X holds an area, has no overlord and people who live in X think they're X-men, then it is a nation.

Monaco is independent, right? It has no unite culture, but I still think it as a nation. USA didn't have a united culture on the 19th century, but it was a nation.

 

[Winner]

I don't like the way English uses this word.

Nation = country (as a political entity) in English.

In Czech, nation = people. It's a group of people sharing certain similarities like language, religion, culture, traditions who feel they belong to the same nation. In other words, I feel Czech, I speak Czech, therefore I am Czech, even if I live in Uganda and I don't have the Czech Republic citizenship (example).

I like our definition more.

 

[Perfection]

A group of folk who in some past time ganged up to kick the living crap out of someone else.

 

[Winner]

A group of folk who in some past time ganged up to kick the living crap out of someone else.

What about a group of people who in the past ganged up to be kicked by someone else?

 

[Goonie]

Known boundaries, and a government.

No. That is a state. Not a nation.

 

[Goonie]

(Points to the border to the south): That thingamabob there.
(Points to the border to the north): As well as that one.
(Points to the border to the east): That as well.
(Points to the border to the west): Yeah, that one too.

Everything within is our nation. Race and ethnicity mean absolutely nothing except for one very special group of people in the world, and I am not blessed to be a member of that group. If I moved to Japan and became a Japanese citizen, I would consider myself Japanese. If I moved to Russia and became a Russian citizen, I would consider myself Russian.

You are right that nations can cross ethnic lines.

The Japanese nation however is an ethnic nation. Even there largest minority in the country--South Koreans--are having a hard time becoming Japanese citizens. It is not easy to become a Japanese citizen, let alone a member of the nation.

 

[Marla_Singer]

The only definition I see of a nation is as following :
"A group of people sharing a common destiny."

 

[Goonie]

Well golly.
Everyone in the entire world is going to die. That's our common destiny. Do you consider the whole world one nation?

 

[sysyphus]

We'd all be alot better off if we did.