• Myth as “a vision of the future which makes crude but practical sense of the present” (George Sorel 1990:19).

• Myth “functions as a timeless model”, which “deprives historical phenomena of their specificity and transforms them to [sic] omnipotent patterns” (Törnquist – Plewa 1992:14).

• Myth as “a tale concerned with past events, giving them a special meaning and significance for the present and thereby reinforcing the authority of those who are wielding power in a particular community” (Friedrich and Brzezinski 1961: 99).

• Integrative function: Myth - an instrument of self definition for the community (Schöpflin, 1997: 22), stronger ties within group, clear boundaries towards the out-groups

• Cognitive function: Mythical thinking is an instrument of chaos control, of introducing some regularity into the seeming randomness of the visible universe

• Communicative function: strong capacity for emotional mobilization. Myths “mobilize, energize, and even instigate large groups into action” (Tismaneanu 1998: 9) by appealing to the “infrarational segments of political behaviour” (15)

• Numerous ways to categorize myths• According to the time-arrow direction• A) Foundational: past-oriented; focus on the

origins of the community; communicate a system of values and norms; e.g. Golden Ages

• B) Eschatological: future-oriented; propose a vision of the future, a way to escape the present morass and to found a new Golden Age; most commonly cause of political mobilization; action-oriented

• A) Salvationist: authoritarian. Need of a strong leader able to save the situation and lift the country out of its current dire straits

• B) Messianic: nationalist. nation as having a special mission, endowed with particular characteristics that place it above other nations and thus a privileged leader

• C) Vengeful. Guilt and responsibility outside the group; compensation needed for past suffering in the name of moral superiority

• D) Reactionary. Conservative, anti-revolutionary. Refuse change, prefer to return to an idealized past.

• Archetypes: the Conspiracy, the Saviour, the Golden Age and the Unity (Girardet, 1986).

• Myths of territory: “the cradle of civilization”, “promised land”. Primacy of arrival and inhabitation - legitimacy to claims over land

• Myth of kinship and shared descent: the modern nation, as an extended family

• Myths of redemption and suffering: bright future guaranteed by the expiation of sins

• Myths of unjust treatment: conspiracy, fatalism; responsibility given to objective and inescapable forces like the laws of history or assigning blame to other, enemy, groups

• Myths of election: group is endowed by nature or by divine right with special qualities

• Myths of military valor: male values of courage, honor and generosity are promoted to national value status

• Myths of rebirth and renewal: a dark period of decline is to be followed by a new cycle of prosperity and glory for the community

• Myth of divine election – a community’s collective belief in its nomination by the deity for a special destiny

• Strong Biblical tradition, but not only (see Arabs)• Types: missionary and covenantal; • 4 strategies of ethnic survival: imperial-dynastic,

communal-demotic, emigrant colonist, and diaspora-restoration

• Case of the USA: e.g. Reagan, Bush• “Chosenness is the supreme guarantor of ethnic

durability” – true or false?• Which impact on nationalism?