Religionens roll i konstruerandet av nationalism : en kvalitativ innehållsanalys av debatten kring Israels nationalstatslag

Sammanfattning: This summer the Israeli government adopted a new basic law, called the nation state law, which states that Israel is the nation state of the Jewish people. The aim of this thesis is to study the construction of nationalism in the recently adopted nation state law and in the commentary of Amos Oz and David Grossman on the law and the Israel Palestine conflict. The expressions of nationalism and the way religion is used to legitimize nationalism is studied in order to contribute to the knowledge about how nationalism can be construed. Religious education teachers need to know how religion can be used to construct nationalist ideas, as nationalism seems to have a core role in modern societies. To be knowledgeable about the underlying conceptions that construct othering is especially important for teachers who will meet pupils that consider themselves members of nations.   A qualitative content analysis is carried out in order to explore the expressions of nationalism. The analysis is descriptive, with the aim to categorize the phenomenon. The theoretical framework is based on a synthesis between Andersons and Gellners theories on nationalism. Andersons definition of the nation and Gellners definition of nationalism is used to create a coherent analytical tool. The analytical tool constitutes the foundation of the thesis, in accordance with the study’s deductive approach. Two definitions of religion as well as Antonio Gramscis theory on Cultural Hegemony is used as a complement in order to illustrate the character of nationalism. The conclusion of the thesis is that ideas about “the nation” and the construction of nationalism in interaction with religion – in this case Judaism – is given a hegemonic, social and symbolic function and expression. Nationalist conceptions are presupposed in a way which demonstrate that they are ideas that do not need to be discussed or questioned. The existence of the nation is given, it’s seen as a natural prerequisite for a good society.