progressivism, individualism, and the public ... - Telmarc Group

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PROGRESSIVISM, INDIVIDUALISM, AND THE PUBLIC
INTELLECTUAL
McGarry denies the nationalism which was part of Ireland, denies that it ever existed
until the 19th century when the nationalists, by definition those seeking separatism, were
brought to the fore. McGarry in good northern Irish form beknghts the good English
caretakers and implies that the struggle was at worst a religious struggle, and that
nationalism did not arise until much later.
I would strongly disagree for Ireland was a nation as early as the late sixth century. The
writing of Columbanus to Gregory I clearly demonstrate that the Irish saw themselves as
a cohesive group, separate from the Gauls and Merovingians and the Angles and Saxons.
It was in fact the choice that Gregory made in sending Augustine as Bishop of
Canterbury in 598 that started the split between Ireland and Britain. Gregory was battling
with Columbanus since Columbanus and the Irish hierarchy has favored Greek church
rules and regulations and Gregory was commencing the separation of the Bishop of
Rome from Byzantium, he was not yet a Pope, still just the Bishop of Rome.
Thus one can argue that a true Irish nationalism was in place in 600 AD. What basis can
one use for that statement, I will use Stalin's words from his study on nationalism, a study
which he subsequently put into action when he established the USSR.
As Joseph Stalin wrote 217 :
"What is a nation? A nation is primarily a community, a definite community or
people…Thus a nation is not a racial or tribal, but a historically constituted community
or people…a common language is one of the characteristic features of a nation…a
common territory is one of the characteristic features of a nation…a common economic
life, economic cohesion, is one of the characteristic features of a nation…a common
psychological makeup which manifests itself in a common culture is one of the
characteristic features of a nation…a nation is a historically constituted community of
people formed on the basis of a common language territory economic life and
psychological makeup manifested in a common culture."
This Ireland satisfied all of Stalin's demands as of 600, a common language, actually two,
Irish and Latin, used intermingled, common land, the Island, common psychological
makeup, common economic life. Thus one can argue Ireland was indeed a nation.
But to the present, the US is one nation, we struggled through the darkest hours defining
that during the Civil War.
Yet we are again facing a similar struggle, one where we on the one hand have the
political divergence between progressives and constitutionalists, those who believe we
can change anything we want whenever we so desire if it is in the best interests of the
"people" versus the group who believes there is something sacred in the documents and
philosophy upon which the country was founded. Secondly we have the change which
could occur as we introduce new immigrants who may not have accepted the "rules" of
217 Petitto, … p .
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