Joseph Stalin’s Definition of the Nation: Key Aspects and Its Theoretical Limitations

Nino Maisuradze

Abstract


This research examines Joseph Stalin’s definition of the nation and its compatibility with contemporary theories of nationalism. Stalin’s formulation links the existence of a nation to the combination of a common language, territory, economic life, and psychological make-up. This formulation, for decades, functioned as the dominant interpretative framework within the Soviet intellectual tradition and significantly influenced the academic discourse in Georgia as well. The aim of the study is to provide a substantive, comparative, and critical analysis of Stalin’s formulation to identify its strengths and weaknesses, as well as the theoretical limitations that hinder its applicability within modern nationalism studies.

This study draws on the analysis of secondary sources, which allows Stalin’s definition to be understood as an important component of Soviet intellectual heritage. The comparative perspective demonstrates that Stalin’s rigidly formalized criteria fail to capture the diversity of contemporary national identities, including diasporic, plural, and multilingual forms. The study addresses a central puzzle: why has this definition continued to influence academic discussions of the national question despite its theoretical limitations? The study concludes that although Stalin's definition was historically important within the Soviet understanding of the nation, today it persists primarily as a tool for legitimizing ethnocentric political claims rather than as a viable analytical framework.

[1] This work was supported by Shota Rustaveli National Science Foundation of Georgia (SRNSFG) [№ FR-24-17422].


Keywords


Joseph Stalin, concept of nation, national question, theories of nationalism.

Full Text:

PDF

References


Anderson, B. (1991). Imagined communities: Reflections on the origin and spread of nationalism. Verso.

Bauer, O. (2000). The question of nationalities and social democracy. University of Minnesota Press.

Davitashvili, Z. (2003). Nationalism and globalization. Metsniereba.

Gabritchidze, N. (2023, December 9). Nationalism and ideology in present-day Georgia: Interview with Prof. Stephen Jones. Civil.ge. https://civil.ge/archives/573318

Gellner, E. (1983). Nations and nationalism. Cornell University Press.

Hobsbawm, E. J. (1992). Nations and nationalism since 1780: Programme, myth, reality. Cambridge University Press.

Kaiser, C. P. (2023). Georgian and Soviet: Entitled nationhood and the specter of Stalin in the Caucasus. Cornell University Press.

Koranashvili, G. (1997). The national question: General-theoretical and specific-historical aspects. Nike.

Martin, T. (2001). The affirmative action empire: Nations and nationalism in the Soviet Union, 1923–1939. Cornell University Press.

Nikoleishvili, A. (2000). The national question in Stalin’s thought. Kutaisi State University Press.

Nimni, E. (Ed.). (2005). National cultural autonomy and its contemporary critics. Routledge.

Smith, A. D. (2010). Nationalism: Theory, ideology, history (2nd ed.). Polity Press.

Stalin, J. (2012). Marxism and the national question. CPGB-ML. https://archive.cpgb-ml.org/download/publications/stalin_marxism_and_national_question.pdf

Suny, R. G. (1994). The making of the Georgian nation. Indiana University Press.


Refbacks

  • There are currently no refbacks.