The myth of the nation and the creation of the "other"

The nation is a mythic construct whose primary component is a shared language (often one that has been manufactured for the purpose). In the context of popular sovereignty, shared language, like other shared traits, brings with it a seemingly irresistible capacity to demonize those who do not share it. This capacity is faithfully enlisted by politicians looking for means of mass mobilization. The democratic nation-state therefore displays xenophobic tendencies; yet the urge to combat these tendencies fixes, as permanent and normative "identities," the very myths-artificial and eminently mutable-that start the process Of xenophobia in the first place.