| Summary/Abstract |
This article theorizes “pan-nationalism” as an analytical category in the context of nationalism theory by contrasting “pan-nationalism” with “nationalism.” What does the prefix “pan-” imply? One can identify a “multiple-statehood” criterion: pan-nationalism extends across state frontiers. Observers also use the prefix pejoratively to connote extremism or revanchism. The pejorative tendency means that the difference between “nationalism” and “pan-nationalism” may depend on the observer’s political sympathies. A brief survey of pan-Slavism illustrates a large gap between the aspirations of self-proclaimed Pan-Slavs, and the goals attributed to them. Many self-proclaimed pan-nationalists elsewhere in the world have also renounced high-political goals, thus scholars should stay close to the primary sources and exercise caution when making assumptions about pan-nationalist aspirations.
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