First Session: The Nature of Nations

Abstract

Chairman: Welcome, gentlemen, to this symposium, and thank you all for agreeing to attend. I hope you will find our discussions stimulating. First of all, please allow me to lay down a few simple rules of procedure to facilitate an orderly debate. Naturally, I, as chairman, will often judge whom to call for a contribution so that the argument flows with reasonable clarity and pattern. Also, no doubt, I shall endeavour to interrupt as little as possible. I propose to divide our deliberations into four sessios so as to provide us with short breaks and in order to cluster our subject-matter into four topics. These topics will be: the nature of nations, political and social contexts, rights and chracters of nations, and the individual and the nation.One final introductory comment. The subject of this symposium is the theory of nationalism. Some of you were involved in your lives in the practice of politics. I charge you all to ignore these examples of practical activity and certainly not to engage in condemnation, exculpation or personal glorigication in relation to these policies. So let us now make a start.