What Is Cultural Nationalism?
Cultural nationalism is a term used by scholars of nationalism to describe efforts among intellectuals to promote the formation of national communities through emphasis on a common culture. Part of the Nationalist family.
Definition
Cultural nationalism is a term used by scholars of nationalism to describe efforts among intellectuals to promote the formation of national communities through emphasis on a common culture.
Definition quoted from Wikipedia: Cultural nationalism (text available under CC BY-SA 4.0; checked October 20, 2026).
Core ideas
- Shared language, culture and heritage.
- Preservation of national traditions.
- Membership through cultural belonging.
Associated thinkers and leaders
Johann Gottfried Herder
Core ideas, origins and thinkers: Atlas summary.
Where Cultural Nationalism sits on the Atlas maps
| Map dimension | Score (0–100) | Position | Reading |
|---|---|---|---|
| Economic Collective / planned ↔ Market | 58 | near the center | |
| Social Progressive ↔ Traditional | 74 | toward traditional | |
| Authority Libertarian ↔ Authoritarian | 34 | toward libertarian | |
| National identity Cosmopolitan ↔ Nationalist | 87 | strongly toward nationalist | |
| Foreign policy Non-intervention ↔ Intervention | 28 | toward non-intervention |
All nine underlying dimensions
| Dimension | Score | Reading |
|---|---|---|
| Economic ownership Collective ownership ↔ Private ownership | 64 | near the center |
| Civil liberties Civil liberty ↔ State restrictions | 38 | near the center |
| National identity Cosmopolitan ↔ Nationalist | 87 | strongly toward nationalist |
| Social and cultural values Progressive ↔ Traditionalist | 81 | toward traditionalist |
| Political governance Democratic ↔ Autocratic | 31 | toward democratic |
| Equality and hierarchy Egalitarian ↔ Hierarchical | 60 | near the center |
| Economic management Free market ↔ State planning | 50 | near the center |
| Military intervention Non-intervention ↔ Intervention | 28 | toward non-intervention |
| Religion and government Secular state ↔ Religious authority | 58 | near the center |
These positions are estimates on the Atlas’s nine-dimension scale, produced by running the tradition’s core principles through the same questions and scoring used for test-takers. They are interpretations for comparison, not objective measurements. How scores are made.
Estimated positions on key questions
| Statement | Position | Basis |
|---|---|---|
| Opposition parties should be free to compete in elections. | Strongly agrees | estimated from doctrine |
| A national religious authority should have the power to veto legislation. | Strongly disagrees | estimated from doctrine |
| The means of production should ultimately be owned collectively. | Strongly disagrees | estimated from doctrine |
| People should be free to criticize the government without fear of legal punishment. | Strongly agrees | estimated from doctrine |
| Central economic planning is preferable to decentralized market decisions. | Strongly disagrees | estimated from doctrine |
| National borders should become less important over time. | Strongly disagrees | estimated from doctrine |
| Military power should be used proactively when serious external threats are emerging. | Strongly disagrees | estimated from doctrine |
| Traditional values should guide what society considers right and wrong. | Strongly agrees | estimated from doctrine |
| Class distinctions should gradually disappear. | Strongly disagrees | estimated from doctrine |
| Praying or protesting near abortion clinics should be banned within a set distance. | Strongly disagrees | estimated from doctrine |
Related ideologies
Main differences from the closest ideologies
- Compared with Conservative Populism, Cultural Nationalism sits 3 points further toward traditional on the social dimension.
- Compared with National Conservatism, Cultural Nationalism sits 8 points further toward progressive on the social dimension.
- Compared with Right-Wing Populism, Cultural Nationalism sits 12 points further toward libertarian on the authority dimension.
Figures with the closest estimated positions
Closeness of estimated positions only; this does not mean these people identify with Cultural Nationalism.
Sources
- Wikipedia: Cultural nationalism
- Wikipedia: Cultural Nationalism (Wikipedia search)
- Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy: Nationalism
Position last reviewed: not yet reviewed individually.