Tombs of Unknown Soldiers
The author situates the concept of Tombs of the Unknown Soldier as the central emblematic symbol of nationalism. The fact that nobody really knows whom the body inside belongs to—or even if there is a body at all—equates the imaginary basis that is the foundation of nationalism. The significance of these tombs has nothing to do with any actual human remains or heroism, but only with the imagined nationalistic spirit of the soldier inside.
Borders
Almost paradoxically, borders are actually a symbol of the territorial existence of an imaginary nation. Whether topographical—a coastline or river—or not, national borders are completely arbitrary demarcations separating those belonging one to one nation from those belonging to another. It is the border which surrounds residents that gives them their spirit of nationalism more than anything else, including anatomical features and language. This truism accounts for rabid desire to build border walls and militarize border security.
Medieval Religious Art
The paintings, stained glass windows and architecture reliefs of the medieval period are symbols of how visual representation are essential to cementing the fundamental concept of timelessness as a building block for nationalism. Situating Biblical figures in then-modern dress successfully tied the consciousness of the living to events which had occurred centuries earlier in another place as inheritors of a dynastic Christian empire: a community imagined on the basis of religious brotherhood.
William the Conqueror
William a symbol of how the educational system is essential for maintaining the illusion of nationalistic pride. Notably, this iconic figure in British history has come to be known as William the Conqueror when the more appropriate title for this warrior who spoke no English and was born in what would become one of the famous parts of France would be “William, the Conqueror of the English.”
National Anthems
National anthems are symbolic of the gut reaction to nationalism that makes even those most intellectually opposed susceptible, however briefly, to the insidious quality of its allure. Any sporting even in any country of the world is usually preceded by the sight of hundreds or thousands of fans standing up and either singing, mouthing or pretending to mouth the words of allegiance to their country. Despite the fact that the sporting event and allegiance to the country have absolute nothing to do with each other—even during nation versus nation competitions like the World Cup or Olympics—the connection is still made: I pledge allegiance to my team. Fan allegiance itself is merely a symbolic microcosm of the larger ideological virus of nationalism.
