What Is Ethnonationalism?
Ethnic nationalism, also known as ethnonationalism, is a form of nationalism in which the nation and nationality are defined in terms of ethnicity, with emphasis on an ethnocentric approach to various political issues… Part of the Nationalist family.
Definition
Ethnic nationalism, also known as ethnonationalism, is a form of nationalism in which the nation and nationality are defined in terms of ethnicity, with emphasis on an ethnocentric approach to various political issues related to national affirmation of a particular ethnic group.
Definition quoted from Wikipedia: Ethnic nationalism (text available under CC BY-SA 4.0; checked October 20, 2026).
Core ideas
- Nation defined by ethnicity and ancestry.
- The state as the homeland of one ethnic group.
- Restriction of membership by descent.
Core ideas, origins and thinkers: Atlas summary.
Where Ethnonationalism sits on the Atlas maps
| Map dimension | Score (0–100) | Position | Reading |
|---|---|---|---|
| Economic Collective / planned ↔ Market | 52 | near the center | |
| Social Progressive ↔ Traditional | 91 | strongly toward traditional | |
| Authority Libertarian ↔ Authoritarian | 73 | toward authoritarian | |
| National identity Cosmopolitan ↔ Nationalist | 100 | strongly toward nationalist | |
| Foreign policy Non-intervention ↔ Intervention | 31 | toward non-intervention |
All nine underlying dimensions
| Dimension | Score | Reading |
|---|---|---|
| Economic ownership Collective ownership ↔ Private ownership | 63 | near the center |
| Civil liberties Civil liberty ↔ State restrictions | 65 | near the center |
| National identity Cosmopolitan ↔ Nationalist | 100 | strongly toward nationalist |
| Social and cultural values Progressive ↔ Traditionalist | 100 | strongly toward traditionalist |
| Political governance Democratic ↔ Autocratic | 81 | toward autocratic |
| Equality and hierarchy Egalitarian ↔ Hierarchical | 92 | strongly toward hierarchical |
| Economic management Free market ↔ State planning | 65 | near the center |
| Military intervention Non-intervention ↔ Intervention | 31 | toward non-intervention |
| Religion and government Secular state ↔ Religious authority | 69 | toward religious authority |
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 |
|---|---|---|
| The means of production should ultimately be owned collectively. | Strongly disagrees | estimated from doctrine |
| A naturalized citizen can belong to the nation as fully as someone born there. | Strongly disagrees | estimated from doctrine |
| A national religious authority should have the power to veto legislation. | Strongly disagrees | estimated from doctrine |
| Traditional values should guide what society considers right and wrong. | Strongly agrees | estimated from doctrine |
| A strong leader who gets things done matters more than following proper procedures. | Strongly agrees | estimated from doctrine |
| Society works best when established social hierarchies are respected. | Strongly agrees | estimated from doctrine |
| Military power should be used proactively when serious external threats are emerging. | Strongly disagrees | estimated from doctrine |
| Foreign students should be deported for taking part in protests the government considers supportive of terrorism. | Strongly agrees | estimated from doctrine |
| Regulations on business should be minimized whenever possible. | Strongly disagrees | estimated from doctrine |
| Exceptional achievement should be rewarded even if it produces large status differences. | Strongly agrees | estimated from doctrine |
Related ideologies
Main differences from the closest ideologies
- Compared with Christian Nationalism, Ethnonationalism sits 8 points further toward authoritarian on the authority dimension.
- Compared with Right-Wing Nationalism, Ethnonationalism sits 13 points further toward collective / planned on the economic dimension.
- Compared with Theoconservatism, Ethnonationalism sits 14 points further toward nationalist on the national identity dimension.
Comparisons
Civic Nationalism vs Ethnonationalism
Figures with the closest estimated positions
Closeness of estimated positions only; this does not mean these people identify with Ethnonationalism.
Sources
- Wikipedia: Ethnic nationalism
- Wikipedia: Ethnonationalism (Wikipedia search)
- Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy: Nationalism
Position last reviewed: not yet reviewed individually.