"…a vision and image of an Anglo-Saxon collective body– complete with its traditions and distinctive culture….There is no selfish motive here…quite the opposite. American white nationalism concerns itself with the collective body, the uberculture of those of European descent. Their focus is upward and outward – constrained by the exclusive concern for their race, yes – but certainly not characterized by morbid self-absorption.

Uberculture? What?

It is true, for example, that when American white nationalists speak of "loving the nation" they are NOT referring to the American nation as it is currently constituted, but to a vision and image of an Anglo-Saxon collective body – complete with its traditions and distinctive culture.

There is no selfish motive here…quite the opposite. American white nationalism concerns itself with the collective body, the uberculture of those of European descent. Their focus is upward and outward – constrained by the exclusive concern for their race, yes – but certainly not characterized by morbid self-absorption.

Good try at some backhanded demonizing though.

"To insist on the existence of a nation with regards to which one might be unpatriotic, an exclusive nation whose sanctity and purity is paramount to that of each person’s belonging to it, is to violate some of the most fundamental democratic principles regarding inclusion and equality–not to mention that it fails to recognize the dissenter as an actual person, rather than a mere enemy or threat."

This is your position on nationalism in the United States, but there are nationalisms that we wouldn't be able to say that about (or would we). What about Palestinian nationalism? Irish nationalism? Perhaps Zionism in Eastern Europe, did it mean the same thing to its adherents as to its leaders? Is nationalism always governmental in nature, fomented by synechdochical subgroups who write themselves large in the names of millions?

Here are some tidbits. One of my friends is a participant of the famous Abraham's Vision Program, which takes Israeli/Jewish and Palestinian students from the States to the Balkans and runs intensive group process dialogues. These are intensely political and aim at uncovering inequalities and and power dynamics. He says that one of the "privileges" that Jewish/Israeli people do not aware they enjoy is the privilege of being disaggregated, of different opinions, unenlisted and free. The Palestinian students speak of the need to stick together because of their invisibility.

Another tidbit. Fanon talks glowingly about "national consciousness," about the importance of uniting disparate subgroups to resist colonialism by recognizing their common oppression.

I don't have answers, but maybe nationalism is really like a secular religion after all. I find it impossible to say what religion, as a category, is. It's easier for me to think about what religion comes to mean in certain places. Are we willing to openly indict Irish or Tamil or Palestinian nationalism, to point out the thousand and one differences that lead to the conclusion that nationalism is a logical fallacy? I would never do this, and I want to know why, other than the obvious reason that it's easier and more necessary to criticize the powerful (victorious?). Maybe nationalism is an "instrument of identification," perhaps a moment in the history of a struggle that becomes a pitfall?

Here is a great example:
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1098187.html

On a slightly tangential side note, your post reminded me of this recent Daily Cal op-ed:

http://www.dailycal.org/article/106014/honoring_a...

When Dov Khenin, a Member of Knesset from Hadash/alJabhaa (the Israeli communist front) ran for mayor of Tel Aviv he was "accused" of not being a Zionist. One of his supporters anwered that he isn't a zionist – he's a patriot, meaning that he cares about all the different populations currently living in Israel/Palestine and not about privileging some over others. I find this reexamination of what caring about America or caring about Israel means very very useful – and your post hits the nail on the head.