One result of this was a power struggle between “secular” forces, i.e., princes and local rulers, and the Church. The Pope became equivalent to an emperor in Western Europe, because when the Western Roman Empire fell to the Germanic invaders, there was a power vacuum which the Bishop of Rome (now known as the Pope) came to fill. National consciousness, government based on national identity, and individual citizenship, has a historical explanation related to power struggles in Europe. It also touches upon the issues of inequity that national identity formation often creates.

This section gives an overview of national identities and how they formed in the Middle East, and how they differ with European and global views on national identity. However, within those political boundaries, there is even more diversity to be grappled with, and understood. The map of the Middle East is diverse already with Arabic, Hebrew, Turkish and Persian linguistically defining the political borders – not the monolithic image most people have of the Middle East as a location exclusively Arabic-speaking place.

It is important to understand the dynamics of national identity for two main reasons:ġ) to understand the immense cultural diversity of the Middle East,Ģ) to understand issues of inequity and power imbalances,ģ) to acknowledge that many of the conflicts of the Middle East are better understood with an accounting of national identity issues.

Chapter Three: The Middle East and the Impact of Imperialism

Pronlems with nation state