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Goffman Memorial Lecture: Doing National Identity: Presentations in Everyday Life

Date: Friday 4th May
Time: 3-5pm
Venue: F21, 7 George Square
Title: Doing National Identity: Presentations in Everyday Life
Speakers: Professors David McCrone and Frank Bechhofer

Musical Nationalism and Propaganda

The relationship between nationalism and classical music tends to be thought of as an exploration of a nation’s folk music in the high cultural realm, as discussed in a previous post, and is considered a positive nation-building tool. My current research is on how music is used by the state, and led to the discovery of this incredible story.

In 2001 it was discovered that Russian composer Dmitri Shostakovich (1906-1975) had written a Suite on Finnish Themes. The suite was never performed in Shostakovich’s lifetime, he never claimed authorship of the pieces and it was never given an opus number; only referenced once, obliquely, in his letters. On discovery, Finland and Russia raced to premiere the work. The immediate reaction to the discovery is explained in this news article.

However, as the news gathered attention in Finland, the truth behind the composition began to unravel. On November 30th 1939, the Red Army invaded Finland, beginning the Winter War. According to a researcher on this case, reported here, the Soviet government commissioned Shostakovich to write a suite based on Finnish melodies to be used as a propaganda tool. The commission was made between the 23rd and 25th of November that year, and included a set of melodies chosen by officials. The composer was given a deadline of December 2nd; thus the commission was within the time-frame of planning the invasion and the expected date of occupation.

Had the invasion been a success, the music would have been played by Red Army marching bands in Helsinki – either, as this article suggests, to “show that [the Soviets] wished to protect and nurture Finnish culture – and thus would have attempted to win over the country’s intelligentsia,” or, equally plausible, to further humiliate the Finns after their military defeat.

The article also explains the story of how the piece was buried and forgotten about, and claims “Perhaps after all it is best that a Finnish orchestra is responsible for the first performance of Shostakovich’s work,” so that it is “unlikely to stimulate much by way of thoughts of superpower politics and the Winter War.” Thus, the Soviet propaganda is reclaimed as a product of Finnish folk culture by the Finnish state.

The remaining question regards why the composer would accept such a commission only to disregard it once completed. Shostakovich is well known for his difficult relationship with the Soviet state: throughout his life trying to achieve far reaching artistic goals that went against the grain of Communist Party standards. The 1939 commission followed Shostakovich’s first denouncement by the Communist Party, in particular due to the “immoral” 1932 opera Lady Macbeth of the Mtsensk District. Fearing for his life, this led to a conservative and more patriotic turn for the composer (the 1937 Fifth Symphony in particular). The Suite on Finnish Themes can quite easily be seen as part of the same project of forced patriotism on the part of the composer to escape Communist Party backlash and to return to Stalin’s favour.

Michael Keating: An idea of nationhood

An interesting piece by Michael Keating on the evolution of mainstream Catalan nationalism:

http://www.scotsman.com/news/michael-keating-an-idea-of-nationhood-1-2253786

Football and competing national identities

A very interesting and up-to-date documentary on the Glasgow football teams, with each team believed to be directly linked to different personal, political and national identities.

Rangers & Celtic

Printemps Érable (Maple Spring)

Yesterday, March 22^nd, saw the “Manifestation Nationale Contre la Hausse des Frais de Scolarité”, a national protest against the proposed increase in the university tuition fees in Quebec.  Now at 2 168$ per year, the Liberal government in Quebec proposes in its new budget an increase of 1 625$ over 5 years, to reach the amount of 3 793$ per year.  This 75% increase  is far from being popular and this led to yesterdays national protest, where more than 200 000 people (students, families, etc.) made their voices heard in the streets of Montreal.

What is mostly interesting about this debate is that it tends to include nationalist discourses.  The debate has indeed involved discussions on what type of nation Quebec should aspire to be, and on the idea that the Liberal government is threatening the cultural and social gains made by this nation since the last 50 years.  The debate is thus not only about university fees, but about the type of nation that Quebec “ought to be”.

By looking at the following pictures on this massive protest, we notice the presence of numerous Quebec flags, but also of the “Patriots” flag, a symbol now associated with francophones resistance to the state.  Finally, the turmoil created by the student stike and the subsequent protests have been nicknamed the “Printemps Érable” (the Maple Spring), in reference to the “Printemps Arabe” (the Arab Spring).  It seems that in the popular discourse, the student protests of the last few weeks are now perceived to be representing a general discontent towards the provincial government, and its idea of the Quebec nation.

Nationalism at the Movies

Hollywood has its own opinion about what it means to be a nationalist, specifically with their vision of what it means to be the perfect Scottish nationalist or American nationalist. Mel Gibson portrays both in his films Braveheart and The Patriot, providing a positive image for his characters. These movies portray nationalism as an ideal, displaying how fighting for your country sets you above your counterparts. But, of course, there is a dark side to nationalism, and in portrayals of nationalist issues in both a Scottish and American perspective.

 

Distinguished as one of the most historically inaccurate movies, Braveheart portrays William Wallace, a commoner, that unites the 13th Century Scots in their battle to overthrow English rule. Once he loses another of his loved ones, William Wallace begins his long quest to make Scotland free once and for all, along with the assistance of Robert the Bruce.

 

 

Another famous movie portraying an ideal is The Patriot. For a miniature plot summary: “It is 1776 in colonial South Carolina. Benjamin Martin, a French-Indian war hero who is haunted by his past, now wants nothing more than to live peacefully on his small plantation, and wants no part of a war with the most powerful nation in the world, Great Britain…But when Colonel William Tavington, British dragoon, infamous for his brutal tactics, comes and burns the Martin Plantation to the ground, tragedy strikes.”

 

 

But of course there is another side to nationalism…one that does not portray a national hero.

 

Trainspotting portrays drug addicts that live in Edinburgh. This is a complete contrast to what Braveheart portrays. As IMDB writes, this film is about “a wild, freeform, Rabelaisian trip through the darkest recesses of Edinburgh low-life, focusing on Mark Renton and his attempt to give up his heroin habit, and how the latter affects his relationship with family and friends.”

 

 

Another counter example for American nationalism is Gangs of New York. For a brief synopsis: “1863. America was born in the streets. In this movie, we see Amsterdam Vallon returning to the Five Points of America to seek vengeance against the psychotic gangland kingpin Bill the Butcher who murdered his father years ago. With an eager pickpocket by his side and a whole new army, Vallon fights his way to seek vengeance on the Butcher and restore peace in the area.”

 

 

Questions:
How do these movies effect people’s perception of nationalism?
Do you think these portrayals of nationalism are realistic?
Do you think nationalism in movies is more banal or explicit?
Do movies usually portray a negative or positive image of nationalism?
How do you feel about Mel Gibson’s portrayal in nationalist movies?